The Spark: Hunger Games in Cinna's POV
by mellarkarry
Summary: "Channel your emotions towards yourself, that way you will hurt nobody but yourself."/ Hunger Games through eyes of Katniss' stylist.
1. Prologue: Vilnius

**Heyy (: This is my first fanfic, so please tell me what you think by pressing that review button down below... ;) Enjoy!**

**Prologue**

"I have taught you well, Cinna," Vilnius said proudly as I handed in my final project. It was a short sleeved sunset orange silky dress with bright green leaves arranged neatly to just above the hip. Orange and green are a beautiful combination, especially the sunset orange and pine green; those 2 colours are like peanut butter and jelly, the perfect match. It was a flowing dress up to the knees in the front and grazed the floor at the back, with a slightly low back cut but high round neckline in the front. "Definitely one of your best designs. You have a bright future as a stylist for one of the districts, Cinna. Whichever district that gets you is very lucky."

I smiled and my heart warmed up at the compliment my teacher gave. I wrapped the dress gently and placed it in a white box.

I've been Vilnius' apprentice for 5 years now. Vilnius always had interesting and different ideas. He always thought outside the box, never really listened to what other people said about his designs unless it was constructive criticism. When he had an idea and thought it was worth working on, he would work day and night until he was satisfied, and that was what I admired about him. He was also a great teacher; he taught me everything I knew about the world of fashion and aside from my parents, one of the few people who supported me the whole way. He was the head stylist for District 1 and was greatly admired by many stylists, so I was always thrilled when he complimented me.

Vilnius never thought much about the Hunger Games and the horrors it brought to many people. I knew that I never liked the Hunger Games. Ever since I was a child, I always abhorred the thought of sending children off to kill each other. It's barbaric, cruel and unfair. I could only imagine the awfulness of going into a dangerous arena and having to choose between killing someone innocent or dying. It was a pointless and horrible way to 'punish' the districts. Besides, the children that went in had nothing to do with the Dark Days; they didn't choose this fate.

"Do you have a district that you would like to work with Cinna? Or do you not mind working with whichever district?" Vilnius asked curiously. "I think it would be good if you worked with a district like 1 or 2. Possibly 4, since water themes are fun to work with."

I shook my head at his suggestions. "I think I would like working with District 12."

Vilnius gave me a look of disbelief. "District 12? The coal- mining district? Surely you must be joking!"

"People are too close minded when it comes to coal; there's more to coal than just the coal itself. It would be interesting to work with fire."

Vilnius' perfectly trimmed eyebrows furrowed, but he sighed and said, "Whatever you choose Cinna, I will support you. But make sure you know what you want."

I nodded firmly and said, "Thank you Vilnius. And yes, I am sure about what I want. I believe that District 12 needs a chance to shine for once, and maybe if I am their stylist, things might just be brighter for their tributes."

Vilnius gave a curt nod and said, "I have faith in you Cinna. And I know your parents do too. I will miss you, but do come visit me sometime in 2. I have a feeling that you will do great things, Cinna. Always remember what I taught you: Channel your emotions towards yourself, so you will hurt nobody else."

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT (: Please review!**


	2. Chapter 1: Portia and my Prep Team

**Hey guys! This is the 1st chapter and I mentioned Flavius, Octavia, Venia and Portia in this chapter. Did you know a lot of the Hunger Games character names were taken from Shakespeare? Flavius and Portia were from the Shakespeare play 'Julius Caesar' and Seneca is also from another Shakespeare play. :O Just an interesting fact.**

Chapter 1

10:00am. The second hand couldn't have moved slower. Today was the day I would be introduced to my prep team and my partner. I sat on those posh velvet couches in the Training Centre. It's the place where all the tributes, stylists and mentors stay before the tributes go in the arena. It is also where the tributes train. I was excited and nervous at the same time; questions of all sorts circled through my head: _what if they don't like me? What if they didn't like my designs? Do they think that I look weird with gold eyeliner?_ I shook my head and took deep breaths in and out, trying to calm myself down. _Don't worry so much Cinna_, the little voice in my head told me. _Now's not the time to freak out or doubt yourself. Deep breaths in and out._

The door burst open and in came my prep team.

The first one I noticed was a man about my height, who had purple lipstick and orange corkscrew locks and smiled widely at me. The other was a plump woman, who had a bubbly smile and whose entire body was dyed a pale shade of green. The third was a slightly calmer woman who had spiky aqua hair and gold tattoos above her eyebrows and a warm smile.

The purple lipstick man introduced himself as Flavius DeLaut. He enveloped me in a bear hug and I returned it with a smile.

"And I'm Octavia Cranberry! I'm so happy to meet you!" The plump woman exclaims as she takes my left hand in both of her green ones and shook them enthusiastically.

"I'm Venia Goldsmith. Pleasure to meet you," the aqua spiked hair lady said. She shook my hand politely and smiled.

"And I'm Cinna. No need for sir or mister; just call me Cinna. I am absolutely delighted to meet you and I can tell you will be an interesting bunch to work with," I said with a genuine smile.

Just as I was about to ask them to sit down, a woman with dark chocolate hair tied in a tight bun walked in briskly with a bright smile and a leather satchel at over her arm.

"Sorry I'm late; the train was slightly delayed! I'm Portia, your partner," she said as she held her hand out for me to shake.

Her deep brown eyes were warm and friendly and her smile reached up to her eyes. I shook her hand gently and hoped that I gave her a smile that matched hers.

"Cinna," I answered as I let go of her hand and smiled at the rest of the group.

"Well, we'll meet back here at 3:00 to discuss the costumes and makeup for the tributes. In the meantime, Portia and I will talk about a few things while you guys explore the place."

Flavius, Octavia and Venia nodded with an excited smile on their faces and giggled and chatted excitedly about the next couple of weeks.

I turned to Portia and said, "Well, I had a few designs in mind for the costumes. What about you?"

She took a sketchbook out of her satchel and showed me her designs.

It was amazing. You could tell she didn't really design the dress, but more the colours and which oranges, reds and yellows would go together in which shape. The whole page was full of swirls of bright colours and a hint of black here and there. It looked like the sun reflected off the lava that just exploded from a volcano.

"Vilnius told me the other day that you wanted to use the idea of fire instead of just coal. I really like that idea, by the way. So I just did a brainstorm of the colours you would have and use for a costume like that," Portia explained as she traced her fingers down the page.

"This is really, really amazing, Portia. You have real talent," I marveled at her, staring at the glowing and radiant colours bouncing off the page.

Portia blushed a little and said, "Thanks. Glad you liked it," and smiled. "What about your designs?"

I took my sketchbook out from my bag. The cover was smooth cardboard and the paper had a rough texture, adding nice effects to all my designs. It was a gift from my parents after I had been accepted to become a stylist for the Hunger Games.

I flipped through the pages of my fire themed designs. Some were okay, some a bit too cliché, but I finally flipped to the last design.

It was a black unitard that went from the neck to the ankle with leather- laced boots. But the real highlight of the costume was the flaming cape. It was a cape that would be lit by synthetic flames. I even wrote the method of how to light and extinguish the flames and what effects it would have on the tribute. I tried it out myself once, and it was a success.

Portia gasped at the design and traced all over the dress.

"Wow, Cinna," Portia said with amazement. "This is… Magnificent. Just beautiful…"

I smiled and said, "Thank you. I think we could start working on the costume tomorrow, unless you have something to attend to?"

Portia shook her head and said, "No; I can't wait to work on it! I can tell that the District 12 tributes won't go unnoticed this year."

**Hope you liked it! I haven't received ANY reviews so far and I feel really hopeless cos' I don't know what you guys think of it... And I really would like to know. :D So pleaseeee review! Next chapter will come up soon.**


	3. Chapter 2: Reaping Day

**Hey guys! This chapter is about Reaping Day (: ENJOY :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Chapter 2

Portia holds up the cape and asks, "What do you think about this?"

The cape is now in its final stages. Portia has added the red, orange and yellows flames to it, just like the one in her sketchbook, except even brighter and more radiant. It starts out with a slight blue at the bottom, and then slowly moving from a blood red to a glowing orange mixing with the sunshine yellow. She even added some white at the top to really make it seem like it was on fire. It already looked dazzling without the synthetic flames.

"Beautiful. I think we should add a bit of orange here," I said while adding some orange, then stood back to look at it.

"Perfect, Portia. Have you finished the leather boots?"

"Yes. Now I think we need to try the whole thing together," Portia said.

She gently attached the cape to the black unitard and added the headdress on the mannequin's head and stood back, waiting for me to light the cape up.

It was difficult trying out my idea for the first time. It was a couple of months ago when I suddenly thought of the idea. I remember having to go through countless experiments and sleepless nights trying to figure out a way to light something without setting it on fire. It was a real challenge. But when I finally got it, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and ended looking amazing. It was complicated having to invent a new lighter and extinguisher, but it was well worth my time and effort.

Portia turned the lights off and I held my breath as I lit the cape. When I pulled down the trigger, the flames spread throughout the whole cape and I stood back.

It was mesmerizing. The cape was a glowing ball of fire that looked so majestic and powerful. I knew right there and then, that this was going to the costume of the century.

I looked at Portia and saw her gaping at the cape. I saw the way the flames lit up her beautiful face and brought out her mahogany brown eyes. I grinned.

I extinguished the cape with my canister and turned the lights on.

"That was breath- taking Cinna; absolutely stunning. Indescribably beautiful. Cinna, this is your work of art," Portia gushed.

"Oh no, without you, this wouldn't be what it is. Let's just say we work well together."

Portia laughed. Her laugh was like the wind chimes swaying against each other in the wind. It was a sweet sound.

"I wonder what the guys would say," Portia wondered aloud.

When we showed Flavius, Venia and Octavia the burning cape, they just squealed and gushed about how amazing it was, and how they couldn't wait to try it out on the tribute. All they talked about now was how awesome it was going to be and how they already figured out what makeup would go with the outfit.

Portia's prep team had pretty much the same reaction as mine did. Asteria, Saunders and Malvolio enthused about how awesome it was. Asteria had purple irises clashing with her dyed yellow skin; Saunders had swirly tattoos all over his body and Malvolio wasn't much different with his cat whiskers and two unnaturally sharp canines.

Reaping Day came far too quickly. Even though I was born in the Capitol and didn't need to participate in the Hunger Games, I still woke up with the stomach clenching feeling when I knew that I had to watch 23 innocent girls and boys that didn't deserve to die, get their lives taken by the 'sport' in which they call Hunger Games. They were blameless; they had no blood on their hands.

My stomach felt empty even after a 3-course breakfast. Portia gave me a sympathetic look after seeing my pale face with a sickening frown. She gave me a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

"Cinna, don't panic. I know you don't like it. Just pull through it, okay? I'll be right by your side," Portia reassured.

I gave Portia a thankful smile. Both Portia's prep teams and mine were jumping up and down, squealing about how exciting the Hunger Games this year was going to be. As much as I loved them, I was disgusted about how they could be excited about sending people off to kill each other.

I sighed and took a seat on the couch, Portia seated on my right and Flavius on my left.

I flicked the TV on and the District 1 reapings were just starting. Their escort Lovissa Tinkle hops on stage with her artificial neon yellow wig and 6 inch high heels and says with her screeching Capitol accent, "Welcome to the 74th Hunger Games reapings! Let's get started with the girl tributes then, shall we?"

She ruffles around the paper slips in the bowl and finally pulls one out.

"Glimmer Glasswood!"

A tall pretty blonde girl with emerald green eyes goes on stage with a proud smile on her face. Just before she stands on stage, she flicks her hair, acting like she already has this all figured out.

Lovissa moves to the boys' bowl and picks out a name and says, "Marvel Neil!"

A brown haired boy moved up to the stage, face emotionless. He doesn't say or do anything but walk up next to Glimmer.

The channel then switches to the District 2 reapings. Their escort Agatha Rosslly pulls out a slip from the girls' bowl and says, 'Clove Darkhart!"

A brunette with a triumphant smile takes the stage and even looks excited. By the way she struts on stage without hesitation tells me that she will play hard to win.

Agatha reaps a boy named Louis Davoren, but is replaced by a volunteer with blonde guy with huge muscles and towering at least 2 heads above Clove. He has a smirk on his face and crosses his arms while taking a stand next to Clove.

The rest of the districts aren't memorable and I didn't really pay any attention until there was a crippled boy from District 10. When we reached District 11 and found a small 12 year old girl reaped, my heart froze and then pumped dread all over my body. It was bad enough that 18 year olds were reaped; we didn't need a child whose life has barely begun to be put to an end already. She already showed great amounts of strength by not crying when she was reaped.

The boy tribute was almost taller than the District 1 tribute Cato, and although he tried to remain emotionless, his eyes showed great fear.

I sat up straighter when it was the District 12 reapings. Their escort Effie Trinket had a heavily lopsided pink wig and was holding it in place to avoid damaging it more. She reads off the slip from the girl bowl: "Primrose Everdeen!"

Another little 12 year old gets reaped. She trembles as she steps out of the 12 year old section.

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

I was surprised. Volunteering is extremely rare in the poorer districts.

The brunette girl pushes the blonde who I assume is her sister behind her, and steps onto the stage. Her little sister is screaming for her to come back but is held back by another boy. The girl keeps her face emotionless.

"Lovely!" Effie Trinket exclaims, finally glad for some excitement in her district. "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth, then we um…" she trails off, unsure of herself.

"What does it matter? Let her come forward," the Mayor replies gruffly, pain evident on his face.

"Well bravo," gushes Effie Trinket. "That's the spirit of the Games!"

I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

"What's your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen," the girl replies with a firm voice.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" trills Effie Trinket.

The crowd is looking at Effie with horror. Maybe not on their faces, but their eyes show it all. Eyebrows furrow and the square is silent. Silence is the most powerful scream; the only way they can say that this was unfair; this is not what we want. This is not right. Then unexpectedly, the whole District touches their three fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to her. This gesture means so many things: thank you, we admire you, but most of all, goodbye.

Haymitch Abernathy hollers on stage, obviously drunk, and says something about her having lots of spunk and then falling off the stage and while all the cameras are trained on him, I manage to get a glance of her letting out a choke, but then regaining her posture.

While Haymitch is rolled away on a stretcher, Effie lets out a happy sigh and said, "What an exciting day! Now for our boy tribute!"

She opens a slip and says: "Peeta Mellark!"

A look of recognition crosses Katniss' face, but she quickly hides it. Peeta walks unto the stage, surprise and shock registered clearly on his face. He shakes Katniss' hand and I see him give her a reassuring squeeze.

Effie grins and exclaims, "Happy Hunger Games, District 12! May the odds be _ever _in your favor!"

Right then, the TV switches off. Portia looks at me and says, "That was interesting."

I nodded with a tight smile and said, "Definitely. I think we can't deny the fact that District 12 has got themselves a fighter this year, and we as their stylists and prep team, will help Katniss and Peeta achieve their very best and even more. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Flavius, Saunders and Malvolio walk off together, followed by Octavia, Venia and Asteria, chattering excitedly about the tributes. Malvolio has even started placing bets!

I look to Portia and said, "It's going to be some long weeks ahead, Portia. Thanks for helping me out there this morning."

She smiled and gave me a hug and said, "Any time Cinna; I'm always there for you, like I know you would be too when I need you."

**Soooo hope you liked it (: Cinna will meet Katniss in the next chapter, so stay tuned and REVIEW :D**


	4. Chapter 3: Chariot Ride

**Hey guys (: I also relied on the book for the whole story, and most of the dialogue is actually in the book. ****This chapter is when Cinna meets Katniss, so enjoy ;) **

Chapter 3:

While Flavius, Octavia and Venia are preparing Katniss, I walk up and down the corridor nervously.

I decided to work with Katniss instead of Peeta, not because I preferred females over males or anything, I just think that I would work better with a person who has a personality like Katniss: strong- headed, courageous and her love for her sister is so strong that she is sacrificing her life to keep her safe.

Suddenly, Flavius darts out the room, followed by Octavia and Venia. They start squealing about how she looks really good now with not a single 'hair' on her body and how she's just a natural beauty. They also said they didn't do anything with her hair, which was what I instructed them to do.

I smile at them and say, "Thank you. You can go and get ready for the chariot ride now."

I open the door and find Katniss waiting there for me, naked. They weren't joking when they said there wasn't a hair left on her body. I see her eyes taking in every detail of me; from my close- cropped brown hair, my black shirt and trousers. She then flicks to the gold eyeliner on my eyes, just bringing out the yellow flecks in my green eyes. I think she finds me different than the other Capitol people she has met because I don't have dyed skin or piercings anywhere on my body. The only makeup I have is my eyeliner.

"Hello, Katniss. I'm Cinna, your stylist," I say in a quiet voice.

She's also a bit shocked that I lack the common Capitol accent. Although my parents and I were both from the Capitol, we managed to not catch on the accent.

"Hello," Katniss says cautiously, raising her eyebrows.

"Just give me a moment, all right?" I ask her. I walk around her body, examining her curves and trying to imagine the chariot costume on her body. When I get to her hair, I pause a bit and study the intricate braid design.

"Who did your hair?"

"My mother," she answers.

"It's beautiful. Classic, really. And in almost perfect balance with your profile. She has very clever fingers," I say.

I walk over to face Katniss and see her face scrunch up in confusion. So far, I have met none of her Capitol expectations. The stereotypical Capitol people have done something surgically to their bodies or have artificial hair or eyelashes, but I don't. Capitol people mostly have the weird accents, but I don't. Most of them are oblivious to the horrors that surround them and some they created, but I definitely am not.

"You're new, aren't you? I don't think I've seen you before," Katniss asks curiously. Most of the stylists are familiar, constant in the ever- changing of tributes.

"Yes, this is my first year in the Games," I answer.

"So they gave you District 12," she says matter- of- factly. Normally new stylists are given District 12, the 'less desirable' district.

"No, I asked for District 12," I say. It clearly wasn't the answer she expected as she gave me a questioning glance.

I see that she's uncomfortable standing there naked, so I said, "Why don't you sit down and we'll have a chat."

She pulls on the robe and follows me into the sitting room. I motion for her to sit on the couch and I take my place across her on the other couch. I press a button and the food appears on the table.

It's chicken and chunks of oranges cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white rice, tiny green peas and onions, rolls shaped like flowers and honey pudding.

Katniss stares at the meal put out in front of her. She inspects it, like thinking of how much it must've taken to assemble this meal. I know that she is from one of the poorer districts, and food like this can only possible in dreams, whereas here in the Capitol, all you have to do is press a button.

Her face shows deep thought and possibly hatred. Her eyes seemed to have grown darker by just looking at the extravagant food.

"How despicable we must seem to you," I say to Katniss.

She looks up at me with a surprised face. She doesn't deny it, so I just carry on.

"No matter," I say. "So, Katniss, about your costume for the opening ceremonies. My partner, Portia, is the stylist for your fellow tribute, Peeta. And our current thought is to dress you in complementary costumes. As you know, it's customary to reflect the flavour of the districts."

"So I'll be in a coal miner's outfit?" she asks hopefully. She was probably thinking about the stylists from last year that got the tributes to go naked and covered in coal dust. It was horrible.

So I say, "Not exactly. You see, Portia and I think that coal miner's thing is very overdone. No one will remember you in that. And we both see it as our job to make the District 12's tributes unforgettable. So rather than focus on the coal mining itself, we're going to focus on the coal."

I pause for a second, letting it sink in.

"And what do we do with coal? We burn it. You're not afraid of fire, are you, Katniss?"

I grin at her bewildered expression.

I bring her over to the full- length mirror and take the robe off. I dress her in the black unitard first. Portia added a bit of metallic silver paint to make it look like coal in the light, so even without the cape, she still shines. I take extra care to make sure that she feels comfortable with it, adjusting the waistline a bit, cutting a bit of extra fabric that sticks out too much. About an hour later, I finally take the cape out. I carefully attach the cape to the unitard, making sure it stays on. Wouldn't want it to come off when she's riding the chariot now would you. I make sure it looks good when it's flowing and altered the ends a bit. I then started to work on her hair. I decided that I want people to recognize her in the chariot ride and the arena, so I tie her trademark braid down her braid, spraying a bit of hairspray so it would stay. I placed the headdress on her head, angling it so it was just right and made sure the laces in her leather boots looked just right. After that, I moved on to her makeup. I actually didn't have to do much, because the prep team did exactly what I told them to do, which was bring her to Beauty Base Zero. I added just a light line of black eyeliner and mascara, penciled her eyebrows and applied a thin coat of lip gloss, which was just enough to highlight her features.

My prep team was right when they said she was a natural beauty. Her dark brown hair was silky and just the right length, she always stood with a straight back and had great posture. But her real factor of her beauty was her eyes. Stormy grey, yet mesmerizing if looked right into them.

When I was content, I stood back and let her look into the mirror. I see her soaking in every detail of her costume. I can tell she really likes it. I tell her that I will light up the cape with synthetic flames, also trying reassure her that she won't burn to bits.

"I want the audience to recognize you're in the arena," I say. "Katniss, the girl on fire."

I have a feeling she thinks I'm a madman now.

When we see Peeta, I can tell Katniss is relieved that Peeta is dressed in an identical costume to hers. After Portia and I lead Katniss and Peeta to the chariots, I motion for Portia to come with me. I cast a quick glance on the prep team area, relieved to see Flavius, Venia and Octavia chattering away.

"Do you think it'll work, Portia?" I ask, suddenly feeling panicked, but trying to not let it show.

Portia smiled and said, "Cinna, sometimes you worry too much. You'll be just fine. Both of us have done a great job and I have a great feeling about those two. Their different."

I nod. Katniss and Peeta have something about them that I can't quite put a finger on. Katniss is fire, but with Peeta, there seems to be more than just fire. I see it in his eyes too.

I look at them and see them whispering nervously, then bursting in laughter.

"Thanks, Portia. Now let's go help Katniss and Peeta."

The opening music begins and the massive doors slide open, revealing the crowd- lined streets. The District 1 chariot leads the way, with Glimmer and Marvel dressed in the typical District 1 costumes: dresses and jackets with jewels or crystals. Gets quite boring over the years, if you ask me.

I don't really pay attention to any of them until I see the tributes from District 11 leaving. I think the girl is called Rue and the guy Thresh. She's wearing a little green dress that looks like a flower and she looks so angelic and innocent. She resembles a little bird that is about to take flight.

I quickly go over to Katniss and Portia to Peeta, holding the lighter over her capes.

"Here we go then."

I pull the trigger, and the flames spread through, looking just like how it should. I feel Katniss tense up, then relax after finding out that it didn't burn her to pieces.

I give out a relieved sigh. "It works."

I then gently put my hand under her chin and say, "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!" I give her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulders and jump off the chariot.

I suddenly thought about what Portia said to me the other day. _I want them to appear as a team. I know they'll be trying to kill each other eventually, but I think that this will make them stand out. I can firmly say that there have never been 2 tributes that held hands while going on the chariot, or acting as a team. Give it a try?_

I made the quickest decision and frantically shouting for them to hold hands, but the music drowns my urgent shouts. I shout again and put my hands together, hoping to get the message across. Peeta raises his eyebrows and says something to Katniss and then takes her right hand in his left. He looks to me to check, so I nod and give a thumbs up just before they're on their way to the City Circle.

I watch the chariots from the TV inside. Portia stands next to me, holding my right forearm tightly. I put my left hand over hers and watch Katniss and Peeta steal the show.

It's easy to spot them, because they are the ones that are leaving a trail of synthetic flames behind. They look powerful and yet breathtakingly beautiful. In the deepening twilight, the firelight illuminates their faces and the minimal makeup makes them more attractive yet recognizable.

It seemed like Katniss suddenly thought of something, then she started smiling and waving to the crowd, and Peeta starts smiling and waving too. Then Katniss starts blowing kisses and the crowd starts going crazy. They're all shouting their name and catching Katniss' kisses as if they were real. Some even faint!

When they finally reach President Snow's mansion, they finally stop and the music ends too. President Snow gives an official welcome from the balcony above, while they cut away to the tributes faces. It is difficult to keep your eyes off Katniss and Peeta, as they are the flickering firelight in the darkening night. They get much more screen time than everybody else, and I think everybody else notices too.

When Snow finishes his speech, the national anthem plays and the chariots set off around the City Circle one more time before going back in the Training Centre.

I see the District 1 and 2 tributes frustrated that they were literally outshone by Katniss and Peeta. Glimmer, the District 1 tribute flicks her hair in annoyance stalk off with Marvel following closely behind. The District 2 tribute Cato growls in anger at his stylist and I can see his clenched fists desperately trying not to throw a punch at anybody. The girl Clove is seething with jealousy, but keeps slightly calmer. The rest of the tributes come in with tired faces, not bothered that they already have no chance.

When the doors shut and Katniss and Peeta finally come in they are engulfed by compliments and hugs from the prep team. Flavius gives Katniss a pat on the back and Asteria gives Peeta a kiss on the cheek. The rest are just squealing about how amazing it was.

Portia lets go of my forearm and walks over to Peeta. I walk over to Katniss while Portia extinguishes the fire. I gently take off the headdress from Katniss and Peeta and Portia takes off the capes. I notice that Katniss and Peeta are still holding each other's hands like if they let go they would lose balance and fall. Then Katniss finally lets go and both massage their hands.

Portia and I pass the cape and headdress to our prep teams then go back to Katniss, seeing Peeta give a shy smile and blush a bit. Confusion flickers in Katniss' eyes, then out of the blue, kisses the bruise on Peeta's jaw.

Portia and I glance at each other, then grin.

After I see Effie escort Katniss to her quarters, so I go to the dining room to wait for everybody else. I see Peeta come in a few minutes later and I smile at him.

"We still have about half an hour until dinner, Peeta. You don't have to wait here," I say.

He smiles back and says, "Well, there's nowhere else to go, so I'll just wait here."

I suddenly thought of the training roof. I liked to go there when apprenticing for Vilnius sometimes. He took me there after a bad day. He told me that this was where he liked to just let his thoughts wander. So I decide to take Peeta there.

I motion for him to come with me. I take him up a flight of stairs to the roof. It's still the same after all these years.

Peeta gazes at the view. The Capitol lights are like little neon coloured fireflies in the night sky. The moon is just peeking out of some clouds. It's so calm and peaceful, which is exactly why I like it.

Peeta points at the railings at the balcony. "Aren't they afraid of the tributes jumping off?"

I go to the railings and stick my hand out a bit, then suddenly feeling that electrical shock go through my veins and jerk my hand back.

"There's a force field," I tell him. "There's no way you can jump off, because it will just push you back onto the ground." He nods.

I pause for a bit and then turn to him. "You really like her, don't you?" I ask softly.

Peeta looks down at his hands and say, "I've loved her since I was five. But she probably didn't know I existed until now."

I walk over to him and pat his back.

"I see the way she looks at you, Peeta. She's trying to not open up to you. I can tell. She's afraid to love, because she's afraid to see the ones she loves get hurt. I think the only person she knows for sure that she loves is her sister Primrose. Just be there for her, Peeta. That's all you need to be for now: her friend. The time will come for you one day, Peeta."

He seems to be thinking for a bit, then looks up at me and smiles softly. "Thanks, Cinna."

"Anytime, Peeta. Anytime."

**Hope you liked it! I won't be uploading anything for another week due to holiday, so I hope when I come back I'll be full of ideas and inbox full of reviews :D **


	5. Chapter 4: A Sober Haymitch

**Sorry for the long update! I didn't have internet for a week and I was struggling to make this chapter just right ;) So hope you like it!**

Chapter 4

After a few minutes of just admiring the view, Peeta and I go back to the dining room and find Portia is standing at the balcony, waiting there for us with a smile on her face.

Effie and Katniss walk in and take a seat at the table. An Avox serves us all glasses of wine. I reject a glass since I don't really like the bittersweet taste of wine.

Haymitch shows up just as the first course is being served. I think he has his own personal stylist too, because he looks clean and groomed and even seems sober. He addresses Effie politely and Effie does the same. It seems like they had a fight before and trying to look good in front of Portia and I.

"By the way, Cinna and Portia, the costumes for the chariot ride were fantastic. Absolutely phenomenal! Everybody who was anybody was talking about how spectacular it was and how they were already thinking about sponsoring Katniss and Peeta!" Effie gushes.

Portia and I smile graciously. "Thank you, Effie," Portia thanks for the both of us.

"Any ideas for the interview costumes then?" Haymitch asks while drinking his soup.

Portia and I share a glance and Portia shrugs. "Well," I hesitate. "We're halfway done with it. Just the finishing touches and all that."

Haymitch nods.

Katniss and Peeta keep silent for the rest of the meal. Then dessert is served; it is the special cake they have that uses spirits to light the cake up. The Avox girl lights it and then there are flames that light up the cake. Katniss is mesmerized; her eyes are wide open with curiosity and mouth slightly open. Peeta looks a bit bored, like he's seen it before. After all, he is a baker's son.

The flames finally burn out and Katniss is still looking at the cake. "What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" she asks while looking up at the Avox. "That's the last thing I wa- Oh! I know you!"

I was confused. I look at Portia and Effie, but get nothing but confusing looks. I also see Haymitch a bit bewildered. How could Katniss have known an Avox?

The Avox girl quickly shakes her head and scurries from the room.

Katniss turns to look at us. She seems a bit frightened at our reactions, then Effie suddenly snaps, "Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox? The very thought."

"What's an Avox?" Katniss asks, puzzled.

"An Avox is someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," explains Haymitch patiently. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless to give an order," Effie says sternly. "Of course, you don't really know her."

"No, I guess not, I just-" Katniss stammers.

Peeta suddenly snaps his fingers. "Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized she's a dead ringer for Delly," Peeta says convincingly. But I had a gut feeling he was only doing this to cover up for Katniss.

Katniss thinks through this and then says, "Of course, that's who I must be thinking of. It must be the hair."

"Something about the eyes, too," Peeta agrees.

The tension in the room relaxes and I quickly say, "Oh, well. If that's all it is. And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off, I ordered it specially in honour of your fiery debut."

I wasn't very keen on talking about Avoxes; not because I thought they were strange or unusual, I just happen to have some bad memories associated with them.

We eat the cake and carry on with our meals as if that didn't happened. We move to a sitting room to watch the replay of the chariot ride.

District 1 and 2 look pretty good and District 11 looked very sweet with little Rue, but they couldn't possibly compare to Katniss and Peeta's burning entrance. And I was right; Katniss and Peeta did stand out not only due to their outfits, but also the hand holding.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" Haymitch asks.

"Cinna's," Portia answers.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," he says. "Very nice."

I'm slightly baffled by his comment. Rebellion? No one in their right mind would say that word, let alone in a room where we are surely being recorded. You'd need a lot of guts to just say that word without wanting to take it back. Besides, I wasn't exactly thinking about being rebellious; I was just thinking about making them stand out by looking like a team.

"Tomorrow is your first training session," Haymitch says to Katniss and Peeta. "Now go get some sleep while the grown ups talk." Katniss and Peeta walk off together to their rooms.

I'm not quite sure about what Haymitch wants to talk about. Probably something about the costumes for their interviews and what angle they would play.

Haymitch motions for us to follow him. What could be so important and secretive that we have to talk about it somewhere else? I look to Portia and Effie to see if they have any idea what's going on, but they just shake their heads, looking as clueless as I am.

He leads us to his room. There are broken wine bottles next to a pile of dirty clothes on the floor and the horrid stench of fresh vomit fills the room. The bed is undone and the bedside lamp lies shattered on the floor. Effie scrunches her nose up in disgust and covers her nose with her pink handkerchief while she hops over broken glass. Portia wrinkles her nose up a little, but doesn't say anything.

Haymitch takes us to his balcony. He shuts the doors to his room and slides the glass door that separates the bedroom from the balcony close. He turns to us and speaks in a hushed tone.

"I want nobody to speak until I'm done," Haymitch says as he looks to everyone to make sure we heard him. He then crouches down a bit and tones his voice down even more and says, "We're planning a rebellion against the Capitol and I need all the help I can get."

The fact that Haymitch says this with a straight face and urgent tone makes us doubt that he is joking around.

What he says leaves me a bit startled and confused. I've never seen Haymitch so sober or serious before. He's talking about organizing a rebellion, and a rebellion means going against what the government believes and stands for, and they believe that the Hunger Games are just a sport and festivity. They think that killing is a sport. They think that throwing innocent children into an arena to kill each other is fun to watch. But a rebellion could change all that. The thought of wanting to stop all the Hunger Games have crossed my mind numerous times, but I've never actually thought of starting a rebellion. Besides, to lead a rebellion, you'll need an important symbol and important individuals who people look up to but most importantly, individuals they can trust to make the rebellion a success. You'd also need numbers, because without a large number of people fighting, the Capitol could easily take us down with their many Peacekeepers and advanced weapons. But maybe Haymitch has it all figured out?

"Who's involved?" I ask quietly.

"So far, I've got Johanna Mason from 7, Finnick Odair and Mags from 4, Beetee and Wiress from 3, Paylor, the mayor of 8 and the people of District 13. Getting people from the poorer districts to join is easier than getting people from the Capitol to join because most Capitol people are already content with the way they are living. Besides, they're not the ones who have to worry about the risk of their child entering the Hunger Games." Haymitch replies with the same hushed tone.

Johanna Mason was the Victor form the 71st Hunger Games, Finnick Odair was the Victor from the 70th Hunger Games and Mags the Victor from the 38th Hunger Games. Beetee and Wiress are also Victors and are about 50 years old. Johanna and Finnick just turned 20. Paylor is the only female mayor amongst all the districts. You have to admit, Haymitch has got quite a team.

But then there's District 13. It's odd, because the Capitol destroyed District 13 in the Dark Days. The Capitol has always showed a footage of the ruins of what used to be District 13 on the news, but come to think of it, you wouldn't know if they were using the same footage or not. Even then, how could they have survived?

"But I thought District 13 was destroyed in the Dark Days?" Effie asks, clearly perplexed and voicing all our muddled thoughts.

Haymitch shakes his head. 'The Capitol decided not to destroy them. They live underground now. They've been rebuilding everything from a farm to a school for the past 70 years. I've already got their president, Alma Coin, to help us. Look, I don't have time to explain everything; I'll give you more information later in time. Just remember, by joining the rebellion, there will never be a Hunger Games again and we will get the freedom and right to choose who rules over us. There will also be a chance that all the districts, including the Capitol, will be equal in wealth and authority. I know all of you are Capitol born and wouldn't care much about this and honestly, haven't been through as many hardships as the people from the Districts have. But do it for the people you care for. Do it for Katniss and Peeta and the children of this generation, so they can have a safer and happier future. But also keep in mind that you are at risk of losing your life and sacrificing many things by joining the rebellion. But really, there are so many pros than there are cons," Haymitch pauses, letting all the information that has just been thrown at us sink in. "So are you in, or out?"

Effie is as pale as a sheet of white paper and Portia just bites her lip.

My answer was simple enough. I never had to go through any real difficulties and the only people I really care for are Katniss, Peeta, Portia and even my prep team. I've also grown to care for Effie and now Haymitch. But most of all, I wanted the Hunger Games to end. I'd do anything and everything to make sure that children can have a future where they don't have to worry about being reaped. So my answer is yes. But I knew I might not be able to do it without Portia at my side. She's been a very loyal partner and a close friend to me and I wouldn't want to lose her to the rebellion.

"I'm in," I say firmly, hoping that Portia has the same thoughts as I do.

"Good, because I'm in too," Portia says. We smile at each other. "It's time the Hunger Games are put to an end."

Haymitch nods. "I agree whole- heartedly. Well, Effie?"

Effie takes a deep breath and seems to think it through in her head, then finally whispers, "I'm in. I know it may not seem like it, but I really do hate sending people off to their deaths."

I admire Effie for going against what she has been taught since she was small. The hardest decisions that the Capitol women had to make were whether they should buy the pink or green wig, or which shade of lipstick matched their outfit, and her making this life- changing decision in 15 minutes is a huge achievement for her.

Haymitch nods with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you all. There will be a meeting with the others tomorrow while the tributes have their training session. Meet me here at 10:10 after Effie takes Katniss and Peeta to the training rooms. Remember, no speaking about any of this in public; we don't want all the plans we put to waste now, do we? Now scram; I have a meeting with a very important person."

Effie murmurs a goodbye to us and scurries off to her room. Haymitch takes out his comb and smooths out the creases in his shirt, trying making himself look presentable as Portia and I walk out his room.

I'm still a bit taken aback by how many new things I've found out today. For starters, I didn't know that people like Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair would join the rebellion. But then again, it's not that surprising. Vilnius once told me that Snow had ordered Johanna's family to be killed after Johanna had a disagreement with Snow, and Finnick became a sort of sex slave for the Capitol women after he won his games when he turned 16. They must disagree with the way things are since Snow is the president. I guess Mags, Beetee, Wiress and Paylor are in it for the same reasons as I am: to stop the Hunger Games.

"I wonder who that important person Haymitch is meeting is," Portia wonders aloud, breaking me from my train of thoughts.

"I have no idea, Portia," I say as we reach her room. "He must be important enough for Haymitch to try to look presentable for him or her." Portia smiles. "I didn't know that Haymitch could be a powerful speaker. Maybe he should take over Snow," I say jokingly. Portia laughs, imagining a drunk Haymitch controlling the whole of Panem.

"I think Haymitch really believes that Panem needs to change. It's nice to see how a person can change for the better to fight for something they believe in," I add with a small smile, pausing to look at her. "I'm glad that you chose to be in the rebellion," I say softly, looking into those alluring brown eyes. "I think it's the right thing to do."

She nods and opens her door to go in her room. Just before she goes in, she throws her arms around my neck and encloses me in a tight hug. Surprised but happy, I gladly return her hug and wrap my arms around her waist. "I'm glad you chose to be in it too," Portia says softly. A tingly feeling crept into my veins when I felt her breath against my neck.

After a few minutes in a comfortable silence with our arms still around each other, she lets go of me and plants a light kiss on my cheek. Goosebumps burst from where her lips grazed my cheek and I felt as if there were millions of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

She grins at me and says softly, "Goodnight, Cinna," and closes the door before I can say anything.

**I wasn't too sure about how old Mags was, so I assumed she was about 70 years old. Sooooo... Tell me what you think in a review :D Thanks so much to my reviewers James018, Hayley TT Showbiz and Duchess of Night! Reviews make me feel really good and want to write more! I'll update the next chapter as soon as I can (:**


	6. Chapter 5: Meeting

**Hey again! I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible because I'm lent my Hunger Games book to my friend and I probably won't be able to update without the book, so cross your fingers! But for now, hope you enjoy this chapter (:  
><em>(primstar: Thanks sooo much for leaving a review! And yes, I will write about how Cinna comes up for the ideas for the military outfits and all that, I just think it's a bit too early in the story for now. But I promise I will! (:)<em>**

I wake up feeling a bit light headed. I get up and get dressed quickly, remembering that today is the first training session for Katniss and Peeta. I hastily grab their training outfits and press a button to call an Avox to come. A few seconds later, the same red- headed Avox that Katniss claims to recognize comes in. She keeps her head down and walks to me.

I pass her the outfits and tell her to drop one in both Katniss and Peeta's room for them to wear during the training session. She nods her head, still with her head down and pass her the outfits. She bows her head a bit and hurries out of my room. Just before she goes out, I blurt, "Wait!" She turns around and looks at me, but with her hand still on the doorknob. "Thank you," I say to her, trying to look in her eyes. "Don't take whatever happened yesterday personally, please," I say to her. She looks up at me and I notice she has the same hazel eyes as Portia, except hers look pained, fearful and misery. She nods with a small smile on her face, then scuttles out my room, closing the door behind her.

I let out a deep breath. I felt bad for her; I didn't treat her too fairly yesterday, being inconsiderate about how she might've felt after giving her a weird look. I just hoped that Katniss really thought that Avox was a dead ringer for that Delly Cartwright.

I checked the small bedside clock and see that it is only 8:10. The number 10 keeps ringing in my head, as if I'm forgetting something. Then I remember! There's the meeting with Haymitch and the others at 10:10. I sigh. I wonder how Haymitch's plans are getting on and whether that meeting he had with that important person last night had anything to do with the rebellion.

Since I have about 2 hours to kill, I decide to go see Portia. I go to Portia's room and knock on her door. I only have to knock once for her to ask me to come in.

I enter her room and it feels like I've stepped into one of those paintings of a magical fairyland. Although we'll only be staying here for a few weeks, she has already made it look like her home. I gape as I take it all in. It looks truly stunning. Purple and blue fairy lights are hung across the room; the table is full of loose sketches and random doodles and there is a layer of plastic on the base of her table with reminders written underneath, so every time she looked at the table she could see them. The fragrant smell of vanilla and lavender perfume permeates the room and there are fabrics of different shades of red, yellow and orange draped across the cupboards. Her full- length mirror is decorated with scrap pieces of fabric, making it look very original and interesting. In the empty space above her work desk, there is a corkboard pinned down by pictures, more reminders and even letters. In the top left corner of the corkboard there is the certificate that verifies Portia as a stylist for the Hunger Games. At the bottom right corner, there is a letter written in small, neat print and a freshly taken photo of Portia and 3 other women and judging by the fact that they look alike, I'm guessing 2 of them are her sisters and the other her mother. Next to it, there is a faded picture of a man in a Peacekeeper suit, who I'm assuming is her dad. There are many pins and badges on his suit, which suggests that he is a high ranked Peacekeeper. There are a bunch of other pictures which I'm guessing are of her friends.

"I know, I know, we're only staying here for awhile, but might as well make it feel like home, right? My luggage was quite heavy when I came here," Portia says as she straightens out her bed.

I turn from the corkboard to look at her with wide eyes, "This," I say as I gesture all around the room, "Is magical; truly brilliant. It's really, really awesome."

Portia blushes a bit and says, "Thanks, Cinna. I quite like it myself. Well, make yourself feel comfortable then," she says as she plops on the bed with her head against the backboard, reading a book.

I turn back to look closer at the picture of Portia with the 3 other women. It's a full- length photo of Portia wearing a strapless emerald dress that falls to the floor has shining ambers on it, with matching green shoes. She has her chocolate brown hair swept to one side and has minimal makeup, but she still looks as beautiful as ever. On the left, there is a blonde haired girl wearing a long sleeved tight scarlet dress with black flats. She looks almost exactly like Portia, except with sapphire eyes and short blonde hair, but with the same dazzling smile as Portia. On Portia's right, the girl has long brown hair with gold streaks and is wearing a V- neck azure dress with a violet sash around her and is wearing deep blue platform shoes. I'm guessing that all the dresses are made from Portia's hands because they are so wonderfully and beautifully made, and also have a touch of Portia the way the dresses are cut. The woman who I'm assuming is her mother is standing at the side with a huge grin. She is dressed plainly with a simple black velvet shirt and work pants. She has the same brown hair as Portia but has the sapphire eyes of the girl on the far left.

"The one of the far left is Viola, the one on my right is Adriana and the woman right next to her is my mother, Nerissa. Viola is my younger sister and Adriana is the oldest. The man in the Peacekeeper suit is my dad, Thurio," Portia says, noticing me looking at the picture.

I turn to look at her. "Where are they now?" I ask.

Portia shrugs. "Well, my dad is one of the Head Peacekeepers for President Snow, Viola opened her own clothing shop and Adriana sells shoes. My mother helps out with both Viola and Adriana's shops."

I nod. "You've got an interesting family."

"What about you, Cinna? I don't know anything about you apart from the fact that your name is Cinna, you're 23 and a remarkable designer."

I smile. "There's not much about me you would want to know."

Portia smirks and says, "Well, you can at least start with your family."

I furrow my eyebrows a bit and sit at the edge of her bed. "My parents are Dion and Iris. I have no siblings. Well, I did. My mother suffered a miscarriage when I was 4. Since then, they haven't tried for another." I hesitate to go on. I expect Portia to urge me to, but she just stays silent. I look at my hands as I continue talking. "You could say that we were a happy family. They were never around much though; work kept them really busy. Well, a few days after they found out I was going to be stylist, they left me the sketchbook and a note. All it said was, 'We have faith in you, son. Make us proud. We won't be back too soon, but don't worry about us.'" I pause a bit, wondering if I should tell her the real story. But I think now wouldn't be a good time. Besides, I'll find the right time to tell her sooner or later. So I say, "Till this day, I still don't know where they are. I just hope they're safe."

The real story was that my parents were part of the anti- Capitol rebel group and had to go on some mission in the underground districts. Of course, I didn't know until they left the note. On my twelfth birthday, they told me that they wanted to stop all the unfairness in the districts, and kind of were the good guys fighting against the bad guys, but also that I couldn't tell anyone. They also said they were at risk of them dying and that I was also in danger. But they also told me to be strong; to fight for what you believe in, which was exactly what they were doing. They were always going to those 'business trips' and 'meetings', but I never really got to know whom they met and what they did. Maybe they knew about District 13 and went there a couple of times? Maybe Haymitch knows them? I can't and won't get any answers until they come back, so I just keep hoping that they're safe and healthy.

I keep looking at my hands. I just noticed how calloused they are from stitching and sewing and cutting fabric. Suddenly, another pair of hands cover mine. I look up and see Portia with a tear sliding down her cheek.

She looks into my eyes and say, "I'm sorry, Cinna," she whispers, barely audible as she drops her head until her chin touches her chest.

I give her a weak smile and say softly, "Hey, it's fine. Nothing for you to say sorry for." I gently lift her chin up and use my thumb to wipe the tear from her cheek.

I look straight into her mesmerizing hazel eyes and take in her beauty. Portia didn't need to do anything to make her self prettier or more beautiful, because she is the closest a person can get to perfect.

I set my hands lightly on her cheeks and kiss her forehead. I hold her close to my chest and place one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back. She wraps her arms around my waist tightly. I close my eyes and try to live in this moment and never forget it. We just sit in this position for who knows how long, and when I think it's time to go, I tenderly lift her head and slowly get up. She looks up at me and I gently pull her up. She looks at the bedside clock and it says 9:50.

"We should probably get ready to go to Haymitch," she says as she takes a crisp white shirt and black pants out of her closet and goes in the bathroom to change.

I'm curious about what will happen in this meeting. Will the others be there? I'm guessing they will be, otherwise Haymitch probably wouldn't be bothered to arrange a meeting.

After Portia changes, we head to Haymitch's room. Haymitch answers the door after a few knocks and motions for us to come in.

"Good thing I can rely on you guys to be on time. We'll wait for Effie to come then we can head off," Haymitch says.

A few seconds later, Effie walks in, grumbling and whining about how Katniss and Peeta were one of the last people at training and how they have to leave earlier next time.

Haymitch shushes her and says, "Come on, hurry, let's go! Don't want to be late now, do we?"

He opens the door for us and motions for us to follow him quietly. He walks briskly with us trailing closely behind him. I wonder how Effie does it in 6- inch heels.

We take the elevator and even though it is a fast elevator, Haymitch still taps his foot impatiently while it's going down. When the elevator doors open, he takes us into one of the cars and the driver steps on the accelerator as soon as we close the car doors. I think Haymitch already hired a driver for this. None of us speak when we are in the car. We drive for a few minutes and arrive at an abandoned warehouse. After the driver drops us off he immediately drives away, like he also has some place to be. I turn to look at the warehouse. The roof has a few holes and the walls are crumbling down and what used to be yellow paint has chipped off. Haymitch practically jogs into the warehouse. We quickly go in and Haymitch closes the heavy mahogany door. Although the warehouse is looks like it's about to fall apart, the structure is extremely strong and firm and the door is solid and steady.

There's not much in the warehouse, only a long rosewood table that has about 10 cushioned chairs around it. Not too fancy, but it should be comfortable enough. Besides, I don't think Haymitch was thinking about comfort when he brought us here. Haymitch takes a seat at the head of the table and gestures for us to take a seat. I sit on Haymitch's left hand side with Portia sitting next to me. Effie mumbles something about how there should be a tablecloth but takes a seat next to Portia. Haymitch fidgets restlessly, constantly tapping his fingers on the table and glances at his watch every 3 seconds or so. Suddenly, the doors open and in comes Johanna Mason, Finnick Odair and Mags. A few steps behind them are Beetee and Wiress. Haymitch looks relieved and welcomes them in and reminds them to close the doors behind them. Finnick and Johanna both take a seat on Haymitch's right and Beetee and Wiress follow suit. Finnick and Johanna nod at us and Mags mumbles a hello. I reckon Mags is about 70 or 80, so most of her teeth has already come out and doesn't speak too clearly. Beetee smiles at me but Wiress just looks at me with hollow eyes. When we're all seated, Haymitch puts his hands together and tries to make eye contact with everybody.

"Introductions first. From my right all the way down to my left. Starting with Johanna Mason, Finnick Odair, Margaret Vernon, also known as Mags, Beetee Nile, Wiress Colum, Effie Trinket, Portia and Cinna who are the stylists for Katniss and Peeta. I don't think we need to explain why we are all here, so let's just move on to the important bits. As you all know, I have a very important meeting with a very important person last night. But I did not tell you who, for even though I was very sure there were nothing and no one recording us when I spoke to you, I still could've put this man's life in grave danger. This man will be play a huge part in the rebellion and will be a great help, so please mentally welcome our new recruit, Plutarch Heavensbee."

I'm not joking when I say our jaws drop. Plutarch Heavensbee? Plutarch is one of the Gamemakers for the Hunger Games! Gamemakers are the authors and the creators of the Hunger Games, the ones who think of new designs for the arena and new ways on how to kill children! How could a Gamemaker possibly be involved in a _rebellion against the Capitol_? He might as well be one of the most devoted Peacekeeper and right hand man of President Snow! Also, if he changes his mind, he could easily hand us over to Snow to be executed.

Haymitch quickly says, "I know what you are thinking, believe me. I remember the first time I met him personally was in a bar, I was heavily drunk and he was just sitting there, chilling out and drinking his wine. Then he looked at me and said, 'Hey, you're the drunk Victor from 12!' And I slurred, 'You're the annoying Gamemaker that sends 24 innocent children to die every year!' I remember mentioning some things about how the Capitol sucked and how someone should fight against them. That was probably the most dangerous thing a drunk man could say. Luckily, Plutarch had enough brains to take me out of the bar into this warehouse. But Plutarch took me seriously and then launched into a story about how he wanted to form a rebellion and how we should take them down. He also said that he was getting bored of being a Gamemaker and all that kind of stuff. We had a few meetings after that and I after I decided that I could trust him, I resolved that he could join us. He actually wanted to form his _own_ rebellion and not join the one I already formed, which already included Beetee, Wiress, Finnick, Johanna, Mags and Paylor, and he took a lot of convincing. I told him it would be really stupid and nobody would believe him and he was quite stubborn, but in the end, he finally agreed."

If I thought yesterday's information was hard to take in, today's might as well been a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle, and that eye of a needle was my brain. It was complicated enough for it to sink in; forget about trying to make sense of things.

Haymitch senses our befuddlement and waits for a while so we can try to piece things together. So, Plutarch Heavensbee, one of the Gamemakers for the Hunger Games, is going to be part of the rebellion. Putting that in one sentence was wearying enough. I look at Portia and see her with her eyebrows furrowed. Effie looks like a 6 year old that tried figuring out an algebra question. Johanna and Finnick don't seem too fazed, but still have a surprised look on their faces. Mags doesn't act surprised at all and murmurs something under her breath. Beetee has a look of bewilderment on his face and Wiress just cocks her head a bit to the side, expressionless.

Haymitch sighs and says, "I think I've given you enough time for that to sink in. I'll try including Paylor, Alma Coin and even possibly Plutarch in our next meeting through a TV or something, but for now, we'll just talk amongst ourselves. So. What we should do right now is to try spreading the word of the rebellion against the Capitol, thinking of what you can do to help and getting new recruits without getting into trouble. Which is going to be hard."

_(later in the day)_

Portia and I adjust the last jewels on the costumes for Katniss and Peeta's interviews. We shine each jewel with a careful rub of a velvet cloth until all the jewels glow like burning embers in the fire. We stand back and admire our work.

This is may be better than the chariot costumes. The dress has a black velvet base, which looks elegant and brings out the ambers, rubies and yellow sapphires. I also used tiny blue topazes to accent the flames. Any slight movement with the dress will make it look like the dress is on fire without actually being on fire. Peeta's suit isn't as extravagant as Katniss', of course, but it will look very striking on him, because Portia's clever fingers made the blazer cut just right and the lining of the suit not to bold and not too thin. The bow is not too small and not too big and Peeta is already very charming himself, so he will have no problem looking good in this suit.

"I personally like these costumes better than the chariot ones," Portia says with a smile.

"So do I. I think this will make Katniss look even more beautiful. I think it will look jaw- dropping when the light from the jewels bounce off Katniss' face onstage," I comment, imagining Katniss' naturally beautiful face being light up by the radiant jewels. "The Capitol women will probably find Peeta extremely appealing and no doubt both of them will earn at least some sponsors even before they speak due to how amazing they will look."

"I can't wait to see Katniss and Peeta in these costumes!" Portia says excitedly. She then turns to look at me and asks, "What angle do you think will play for the interview?"

Most of the tributes from Districts 1,2 and 4 are always either acting cocky or arrogant while the other tributes either act sweet, humble, charming and even cold or sometimes just don't speak due to the fact they're so nervous and scared. But I don't think that they are the least bit wimpy or stupid, because if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't be fearless or positive that I would come out of the arena alive and probably will worry myself to death before even entering the arena. I think the fact that they can get onstage without breaking down is admirable.

"I think we both know what angle Peeta would act. Well, he actually doesn't need to act because he's already very charming and easy going and I have a good feeling he's going to get along well with Caesar, don't you think?"

Portia nods. "But what about Katniss? Don't get me wrong, she's brave and seems fearless, but she seems really serious and doesn't seem to open up to people. How do you think she's going to act in front of an audience?"

I shrug. "I have no idea, Portia. But I have faith in Katniss. After all, she sacrificed her life for her sister and has already proven that she's not one to be underestimated by the way she has acted in front of the cameras. I think she'll be just fine. Besides, I think that she doesn't open up to people she doesn't trust. I think something and someone in her life made her close up and create a shell that only the people she loves can break. And Katniss may normally have a serious personality, but she's really sweet around me. I also believe she has spirit. She has courage and that shouldn't be looked over, right? I think she'll be just fine."

Portia smiles. "You really believe in her, don't you?"

I smile back. "I think District 12 might have a Victor this year. Maybe Haymitch has a chance that he will have a fellow partner next year."

Portia frowns. "But what about Peeta? I love Katniss and hope she wins, but can't Peeta win too? I don't think I can lose either of them."

I think this over. It has been the same for the past 74 years: 24 girls and boys go in, but only 1 comes out. It will be almost impossible for both Katniss and Peeta to come out together. The chances of them _both _being the last 2 alive and having to kill each other is quite unlikely and if it does come down to that, Peeta would probably sacrifice himself for Katniss.

I sigh heavily, trying to not think about who will come out and who will be sent home in a coffin. "I really do wish that both of them could come back, because I really think both deserve to win, but what can we do to change the rules? The Gamemakers wouldn't allow it and so would Snow. The least we can do is make them look unforgettable for the interviews. We already did that in the chariot ride, so let's do it again for the interviews."

**Longest chapter so far! I think I'm quite satisfied with it (: Please leave a review for me; reviews are my motivation to write more! :D Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 6: Training Session

**I'M BACK! It took a really long time to write because my friend still has my book, so I had to find the book online and it's really hard to write the story without the actual hard copy of the book. But I hope it's still as good, so enjoy!**

_**(To my awesome reviewer primstar: Thank you for the comment! It's a real encouragement for me (: )**_

It's been 2 days since the last rebel meeting and 3 days since I last saw Katniss and Peeta. I've been keeping myself occupied by just drawing and talking to Portia.

I sit by my desk and reach out for my sketchbook. I flip through the designs I had drawn for the Hunger Games. I could see the transitions of just plain and normal fabric costumes with the standard colours, to more outstanding and bold designs with vivid colours. I flip through several versions of the chariot costume and then the final design; annotations filled every blank space outside the design and the costumes were coloured with radiant colours. I smile, remembering how breathtakingly beautiful Katniss and Peeta looked in these costumes. I flip through the pages where it was just Portia and I's random doodling and comments and I trace the outline of every drawing on the page. I turned a few more pages until I reached the final design for the interview costume. My smile widens even more, thinking of how amazing Katniss and Peeta will look with their costumes on.

People might take the way that I treat and love Katniss the wrong way. I love Katniss in the way I would love my own daughter, which is the exact opposite of what people think. I also feel that they don't understand why I care because stylists are practically the people who make people look pretty for their slaughter. It's better for the stylists to not know the tribute personally for it will just cause heartbreak and sadness. So it is normal for a stylist to do only what needs to be done and not more.

I guess I don't think that way. Especially since I know my tributes have a chance of winning, I don't see why I shouldn't care for Katniss and Peeta, and they are a really unique couple. Katniss has a fiery and protective personality, while Peeta has a warm and friendly personality. Together, they are strong and inseparable.

Another reason why I think Katniss will make it out of the arena alive is because of Peeta's love for her and he will do anything to make sure she gets back home. Katniss may not know it yet, but she loves him too; she just doesn't want to accept it. According to what Portia told me, Peeta told her that Katniss' father had died in a mine accident and her mother has never been a real mother since then, which left Katniss to become the guardian of her little sister Prim. I guess that after seeing her mother change because her loved one died, she got afraid of loving anyone but Prim and scared of opening up and loving, in fear that one day she will lose them.

I get lost in my thoughts and barely hear the knock on my door. I scramble to get it and open the door to see Portia.

I smile at her and say, "Hey, come in."

Portia walks in and plops on my bed. "Katniss and Peeta have their session with the Gamemakers today."

I slap myself on the head annoyed at myself for forgetting.

On the third day of their training sessions before the Games, the tributes will have a session with the Gamemakers, just to show off their skills and to show what they have learned in the past 2 days. It's just a thing to show how much potential the tribute has in winning and whether he or she is worth people spending their money on to be kept alive.

District 12 always had the disadvantage in this because their tributes were always last to perform in the session. By then, the Gamemakers would've gotten bored and drunk and wouldn't pay any attention whatsoever to the tributes performance.

I sigh and sit on the bed next to Portia. "Don't worry too much; I bet they're going to be fine," I say with a reassuring smile. She nods and gives me a quick hug.

She gets up from the bed and takes some scrap paper from my desk. She grabs a pencil and flops back onto my bed and starts sketching lightly. I watch her quick and skillful hand draw out the outline bird. Then after she gradually adds the details, I see that she has drawn a mockingjay.

Mockingjays are birds that came from the mockingbirds and the Capitol muttation jabberjay, which were made by the Capitol. They are unnatural creations, often a combination of 2 animals. For the mockingjay, it's a combination of a mockingbird and a jabberjay. The jabberjays were created to record conversations from where the Capitol thought the rebels were. When the rebels found out, they started feeding the Capitol lies and the Capitol were outraged and left the jabberjays to die out in the wild. Except before they did, they mated with the female mockingbirds, thus creating the mockingjays.

A few minutes later, Portia has drawn a perfect mockingjay with its wings outstretched, flying in the sky. The black and white feathers are drawn with a great amount detail and the beak is shaded like the sun is reflecting of its beak. It's a beautiful drawing. She passes the pencil to me, motioning for me to draw something too. She pushes the sketchbook to me.

I think for a bit, then take the pencil from Portia's hand. I let my imagination take over, and when I finish drawing, I smile at what I've drawn.

It's a mockingjay outfit. It's a dress with sleeves that resemble the mockingjay wings and flows down to the thighs and the dress has black and white feather-like patterns. It's quite different from what I normally design.

Portia grins and says, "That's beautiful. I think it'll be really cool to make."

I smile back and say, "It would, wouldn't it?"

_(later in the day)_

"Time for dinner," Portia tells me as she opens the door. "Katniss and Peeta might be waiting there already."

I quickly get up from my bed and go with Portia to the dining room. I'm eager to find out what happened in Katniss and Peeta's private session.

When we get there, Haymitch and Effie look frustrated and Peeta looks a bit confused.

"Katniss was sobbing and won't come out for dinner. I think something happened to her in her private session," Haymitch grumbles as he pours some wine into his glass.

I look at Peeta and ask, "Do you know what happened, Peeta?"

Peeta shakes his head sadly. "I was waiting in the sitting room along with Haymitch and Effie after my session and after Katniss went out of the elevator she sprinted to her room and she's been there ever since."

"I think I'll go try to call her again," Effie says with a sigh as she walks out of the dining room.

We all take a seat, anxiously waiting for Katniss. We don't bother touching the food that is placed in front of us. Peeta fidgets with his cutlery while Haymitch taps his fingers impatiently on the table. Next to drinking, it's probably another one of his bad habits.

Effie finally comes in with Katniss following closely behind. Her eyes are puffy and red, which suggests that she has been crying for a long period of time. She avoids eye contact with anybody at the table even though we're all eyeing her suspiciously.

We all settle down to drink the fish soup. Eager to break the uncomfortable silence, I say, "The weather today was beautiful; cool and sunny."

Portia nods in agreement. "Yes, it was perfect. Blue skies and everything."

I see Katniss' eyes meet Peeta, and Peeta raises his eyebrows as if to ask 'what happened'. Katniss subtly shakes her head and continues drinking her soup.

Haymitch sighs frustratingly and says, "Okay, enough small talk, just how bad were you today?"

Peeta jumps in, "I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So I threw around some heavy objects until they said I could go."

It was exactly what I was talking about when I said District 12 had a disadvantage in the private sessions.

"And you, sweetheart?" Haymitch asks as he points at Katniss with his spoon.

Katniss' face scrunches up at the word 'sweetheart' and says, "I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers."

We all stop eating and look at her with wide eyes. Even though private sessions are confidential and are never talked about or videoed, I can safely say that attempting something that has a potential to harm the Gamemakers, has never been done.

"You what?" Effie shrieks with her already high- pitched voice.

"I shot an arrow at them. Not exactly at them. In their direction. It's like Peeta said, I was shooting and they were ignoring me and I just… I just lost my head, so I shot an arrow out of their stupid roast pig's mouth!" Katniss says defiantly.

"And what did they say?" I say carefully.

"Nothing. Or I don't know. I walked out after that," she answers.

"Without being dismissed?" Effie gasps, clearly upset by Katniss' behavior. I think she's going to lose her mind.

"I dismissed myself," Katniss says. Her shoulders droop suddenly, as if a ton of bricks fell on her.

"Well, that's that," Haymitch says while buttering a roll. I think he really couldn't care less that Katniss shot an arrow at the Gamemakers.

"Do you think they'll arrest me?" Katniss asks.

Haymitch answers, "Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage."

"What about my family? Will they punish them?" Katniss asks, clearly more concerned about them than herself.

"Don't think so. Wouldn't make much sense. See they'd have to reveal what happened in the Training Centre for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. People would need to know what you did. But they can't since it's secret, so it'd be a waste of effort," answers Haymitch. "More likely they'll make your life hell in the arena."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us anyway," Peeta adds.

"Very true," Haymitch agrees.

I can see Katniss' eyes lighting up, as if they've cheered her up. Effie frowns at Haymitch when he picks up a pork chop with his fingers and dunks it in his wine. He tears a bit of meat off and chuckles. "What were their faces like?"

Katniss' mouth is twitching a bit, trying to suppress a smile. "Shocked. Terrified. Uh, ridiculous, some of them." Then she suddenly remembers something and says, "One man tripped backward into a bowl of punch."

That's all it takes to makes us laugh. Everybody guffaws while Effie is trying her very best to not smile.

"Well, it serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you. And just because you come from District 12 is no excuse to ignore you," Effie states, then her eyes dart around the room as if she said something offensive. "I'm sorry, that's what I think." I can't help but smile and agree with her comment.

"I'll get a very bad score," Katniss says.

"Scores only matter if they're very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy," Portia says matter-of-factly.

"I hope that's how people interpret the four I'll probably get," Peeta says. "If that. Really, is anything less impressive than watching a person pick up a heavy ball and throw it a couple of yards. One almost landed on my foot."

Katniss grins at him and starts eating. I'm glad that we've managed to cheer her up.

After dinner, we go to the sitting room to watch the training scores on television. First they show a photo of the tribute, then their scores underneath it. The score is just like the normal ranking system, 1 being atrociously horrible and 12 being astounding phenomenal. Of course, nobody has actually gotten a score of 12. The tributes from 1, 2 and 4 get scores ranging from 8-10 as usual and other players average a 5. Surprisingly, little Rue from 11 scores a spectacular 7, which says that her performance must've been really impressive if she managed to win the favour and attention of a bunch of drunken Gamemakers.

District 12 comes up last, and Peeta's photo pops up with an 8 below it. I guess there were some Gamemakers paying attention to him. I pat him on the back and congratulate him. Portia envelops a huge hug and squeals delightedly and so does Effie. Haymitch just sits back and smiles a small smile. It's probably a first for him, because the District 12 tributes normally don't do too well.

Then Katniss' photo comes up with a staggering number 11 underneath. 11! Tributes barely get a score above 10, and for a tribute from a poorer district to achieve one of the highest training scores in the history of the Hunger Games is truly extraordinary.

Effie lets out an excited squeal while Haymitch and Portia are patting her on the back.

"There must be a mistake," Katniss says confused, clearly surprised at the result. "How… How could that happen?" she asks Haymitch.

"Guess they like your temper. They've got to put a show on. They need some players with some heat," Haymitch answers.

"Katniss, the girl on fire," I say as I give her a tight hug. "Oh, wait until you see your interview dress," I say as I let go, genuinely happy for her and eager to see her reaction when she sees it.

"More flames?" she asks with a smile.

I give a mischievous smile and say, "Of a sort."

Peeta and Katniss congratulate each other and Katniss murmurs a soft goodnight to everyone and scurries out of the room. Probably still a bit overwhelmed by the events of today. Peeta smiles and bids us goodnight too and leaves to his room too.

"I think they'll have no problem getting sponsors now!" Portia exclaims to Haymitch and Effie.

Haymitch winks and says, "I've got it covered. Now all we need to make sure is that they will look stunning at the interview."

Portia and I grin at each other. "Don't worry; we've got that covered."

**How did you like it? Review, review, review, because reviews are my motivation to write more! They also help me update faster :D Till the next chapter (:**


	8. Chapter 7: Interview Part 1

**My Hunger Games book is still in a chain of borrowers I'm still writing with the electronic copy, but here it is! **

**Thanks again to my awesome reviewer **_**primstar, **_**for her uplifting comments and without her reviews I don't think I wouldn't be motivated to write at all. **

**Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to REVIEWWWW!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Today is the day where Katniss and Peeta will be preparing themselves for their interviews with Caesar Flickerman tomorrow. Haymitch and Effie will both be mentoring them separately; Haymitch will be mentoring them on their angles for the interview and Effie on their etiquette. Each session will be 4 hours. I wonder what they will do for 4 hours.

Just when I am about to go to Portia's room, there is a knock on the door. I go to open it and an Avox is there with a note in his hands.

I thank him and close the door. The note is folded in half and it has the Capitol seal at the top. I quickly skim over it.

_Dear Cinna,_

_We are aware that one of your tributes, Katniss Everdeen, has brought with her a token from her district. Please come to the conference room at 8 sharp to discuss about it._

_Regards,_

_Seneca Crane_

_(Head Gamemaker)_

I didn't know that Katniss brought with her a token. I look at the clock and it says 7:15. I decide to eat something before I go to the meeting, so I use the device where you can whisper a food into it and it pops up within minutes because I don't feel like going to the dining room. I order a glass of orange juice and an apple and eat it while doodling.

At 7:45, I decide to leave for the meeting. Just when I open the door, Portia is outside waiting for me.

"Oh, I was just about to come looking for you!" Portia says.

I smile and say, "Well, I was going to find you too, but Seneca has asked for a meeting to discuss something about Katniss' token. I didn't even know she brought a token with her."

Portia nods. "I'll be waiting in my room then. Come by after you're done."

I nod and say bye to her.

The conference room is on the first floor and when I open the door, I notice that the stylist from District 1, Arviragus Puck, is also here. He snorts when he sees me. Arviragus looks like any other man from the Capitol; he had undergone the surgery where they remove your wrinkles and his bright green hair is shaped like a mohawk. Not only that, he has numerous piercings all over his skinny body and unnatural magenta irises.

"I didn't know that _he_ would be here," Arviragus hisses at Seneca, emphasizing heavily on the word 'he'.

Seneca holds out his hand for me to shake, ignoring Arviragus' comment.

"Cinna, I trust that you already know this man. Arviragus Puck, stylist for District 1." I hold out my hand for Arviragus to shake, but he crosses his arms defiantly and snorts. I shrug and put my hand back to my side. "As both of you already know," he continues, "We're here to discuss about your tributes' tokens." He takes out 2 velvet pouches and opens each of them. In his left hand is a ring with a gemstone on it and in his right hand, a mockingjay pin.

I was guessing that the mockingjay pin was Katniss'. I didn't know that Katniss had a token in the first place, let alone that it was a mockingjay pin. But I keep my face calm and nod, like I knew all about it.

"Now, as you know, we always do some tests to see if the tokens had any poison or any sort of knives coming out of it. And good thing we did too," Seneca says while handing the mockingjay pin to me. "We found nothing harmful in it, but I don't President Snow would be too happy with the pin, it being a mockingjay and all. You may give the token back to your tribute." I nod my head in thanks. "As for you, Arviragus, I'm afraid your tribute has lost their token."

Arviragus snarls angrily at Seneca. "And why is that? Why can't Glimmer have her token? If Cinna's _filthy_ tribute can have hers or his, why can't mine?"

I look at him angrily, _Katniss is anything but filthy!_ I want to yell, but bite my lip to prevent myself from saying anything, settling with a glare into his eyes. Seneca looks at him with a raised eyebrow and examines the ring in his hand, then twists the gemstone with a swift turn. Immediately, the gemstone pops up with a click, revealing a razor- edged spike underneath. Arviragus looks shocked, but to me, it looks fake and insincere.

"Not only that, Arviragus, but it is also poisoned with poison ivy. Therefore, I will have to confiscate the token. I'm sorry. You both are dismissed. I have to make sure the arena is perfect for tomorrow," he says swiftly and walks out of the room briskly.

Arviragus looks at me with pure hatred and stalks off, muttering profanity under his breath. I sigh and head back upstairs. I slip the mockingjay pin in my jacket pocket. I think that she had forgotten about it, but I plan to give it to her before she enters the arena, maybe something that will help boost her confidence later on. I wonder who gave it to her; probably a friend of hers gave it as a good luck present.

I head to Portia's room and knock on the door. She opens the door and smiles when she sees it's me.

"Hey, come in," she welcomes, opening the door wider for me to come in.

Her room is still unchanged, as magical and colourful as ever. She sits on the edge of the bed while I sit on her chair. She looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"So what happened?" she asks curiously, referring to my meeting with Seneca.

I give her a quick recap about what happened and she laughs when I imitate Arviragus' huffy tone.

"You want to go to the roof, Portia? We could just eat lunch and sketch up there. We're pretty much done with the interview costumes." I tell her.

She nods, grabbing her sketchbook and a huge stationery set that includes pencils, colour pencils, ink pens and markers.

I go to my room to get my sketchbook and a blanket then head to the roof with Portia.

The roof is probably the only place in this whole building where you can actually relax a bit, not worrying too much about cameras. The view is beautiful and it helps you clear your mind a bit. They don't bother putting too many cameras up here because there is no point.

I lay the blanket and Portia and I sit there, just sketching random things. After that day when I drew the mockingjay dress, I've become more interested in creating more designs with the mockingjay theme, so all my recent designs had some sort of relation to a mockingjay.

I sketch out a jabberjay, a mockingbird and a mockingjay using colours like blue and yellow instead of black and white.

Portia looks over and smiles. "That looks cool."

I look over at her work and sees that she has drawn a tracker- jacker nest in a forest, with the rays of the sun bouncing off the honey- coloured nest.

"What could be the inspiration for this picture, Portia?" I ask.

Portia just shrugs. "I don't know. You know, just one of those random thoughts."

We order lunch and stay up there and draw some more until the sun starts to set. We head down to our rooms to drop our stuff off then go to the dining room.

Haymitch, Effie and Peeta are all sitting at the dining table, waiting for us.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask.

Effie scrunches up her face and says frustratingly, "She wouldn't cooperate in my session. Do you know how hard it is for that girl to smile without looking like she wants to bite your head off? It took her 4 hours for her to learn how to sit like a lady. The worst part was when I tried teaching her to hold her dress up properly, she lifted it up to her thighs! It's outrageous! And Cinna, forget about including high heels in Katniss' costume; it's going to hopeless."

Portia and I laugh. "I'm sure she'll be just fine, Effie. What about you, Haymitch?" I ask.

Haymitch sighs heavily and grumbles, "That girl has about as much charm as a dead slug. No personality whatsoever. It's not like she can be hostile in the interview because that just won't get her any sponsors." He takes a gulp of wine from his glass.

"Hey, don't say that. She's not hostile around me," Peeta says in her defense.

"I agree with Peeta. Katniss isn't the kind of person who will open up to anybody and trust me, she may not have the brightest and bubbliest personality, but she definitely has spirit," I add.

Portia nods in agreement. "Panem already knows that she is capable of winning by the training score she achieved and it may not seem like it, but she loves so fiercely that she would sacrifice herself for her loved ones. After all that she's done, I really don't think that you can say that Katniss has no personality."

Haymitch mumbles something under his breath and starts eating.

We all settle down for dinner. Since there's no conversation going on, I ask Peeta, "How about you, Peeta?"

"Peeta was just lovely! I think he has the manners of a gentleman. He's going to be fabulous! " Effie gushes with a proud smile.

Peeta grins and says, "Thanks Effie. I couldn't have done it without you. And Haymitch and I worked out that I would come out as a likeable person. He said that Caesar and I have a similar sense of humour, so I think it'll work out just fine."

Portia nods with a smile. "That's good, Peeta. I bet you'll do great tomorrow."

Peeta nods and continues eating. After eating, Peeta says goodnight and goes to his room. Portia and I also say goodnight to Haymitch and Effie and leave for our room.

_(Next morning, Interview Day)_

I wake up at 6 in the morning and get ready quickly. As Effie would say it, today is a big, big, big day, because today is the interview day.

After a few minutes, I arrive at Katniss' room and see Flavius, Venia and Octavia already there, waiting for me with a huge makeup set with them. They greet me with squeals and a kiss on the cheek. I remind them what they need to do before I go in: use the special powder for her skin, stencil fire patterns on her arm, manicure her nails with flames and use the red strands in her hair and tie it in her usual braid down the right side of her head. They nod their heads ecstatically, assuring me that they will remember to do everything. They're all jumping up and down with excitement and burst in the room after I unlock the door to Katniss' room.

I quickly go to the design room and see that Portia is already there. She greets me with a smile and a quick hug. I see that she has polished the gems on Katniss' dress one more time, making them shine even more. Katniss is bound to look jaw- dropping in this dress. Portia has also made sure that there is not a single hair or a bit of dust on Peeta's suit and I'm sure both Peeta and Katniss would look impeccably amazing.

"I bet they're going to look absolutely fabulous," Portia says with a huge grin.

I laugh and agree with her. Portia helps me to cover the costume with a protective pad and I help her to do the same. We go back up to the twelfth floor and part ways.

When I enter Katniss' room, I see that my prep team has done a good job. They stand at the side, beaming at their work. They covered her with the powder like I told them to, her hair looks amazing with the red strands and her nails are perfectly trimmed with the stunning flamed manicure. I see her looking at the costume in my hands, but she can't see what it is due to the covering.

"Close your eyes," I order, wanting her see her reaction after I put the dress on her. I motion for Octavia to come and steady Katniss as she closes her eyes.

I lift her hands gently so that I can slip the dress over her. Katniss slouches a bit after I put it on, but stands up straight again. It 's really heavy because of the numerous gems on the dress and weighs a good 40 pounds. Katniss clutches Octavia's hands as her feet slip into the heels. It's a good thing they aren't the 6- inch heels that Effie probably made Katniss walk in.

Venia helps me adjust a bit of the loose bits at the waist and we do a quick check to see that there aren't any loose threads and adjust the gems that went a bit out of place. After a few minutes, we're finally done. We step back and admire our work in silence.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Katniss asks with her eyes still closed.

"Yes," I say. "Open them."

Katniss' eyes flutter open and is surprised at what she sees.

In the full- length mirror in front of her, she can see just how beautiful she is. Her skin shimmers in the light and any slight movement makes it look like she's engulfed in flames. For a while, we all just look at Katniss in awe.

"Oh, Cinna," Katniss whispers. "Thank you."

"Twirl for me," I ask.

She holds her arms up and twirls. Katniss looks as if she _is_ an ember in the burning fire and if she really is as bad as Haymitch and Effie said she is, she still will be unforgettable judging by the way she looks.

I give the prep team a huge hug and good- naturedly shoo the prep team away, just wanting to talk to Katniss before she goes on stage.

"So all ready for the interviews then?" I ask.

"I'm awful. Haymitch called me a dead slug. No matter what we tried, I couldn't do it. I just can't be one of those people he wants me to be," she says.

I think about it for a moment, trying to form the words in my head. "Why don't you just be yourself?"

Katniss scrunches her face up a tiny bit and says, "Myself? That's no good, either. Haymitch says I'm sullen and hostile," she says.

"Well you are… Around Haymitch," I say with a grin. "I don't find you so. The prep team adores you," I say, remembering how much they gushed about how beautiful and sweet Katniss was. "You even won over the Gamemakers. And as for the citizens of Capitol, well, they can't stop talking about you. No one can help but admire your spirit."

She seems to think it through, then I take her cold hands in mine.

"Suppose, when you answer the questions, you think you're addressing a friend back home. Who would your best friend be?" I ask, trying to help her.

"Gale," she answers without hesitation. "Only it doesn't make sense, Cinna. I would never be telling Gale those things about me. He already knows them."

"What about me?" I ask. "Could you think of me as a friend?"

It's a bit unfair, as I'm just making her pretty for her slaughter. But I hope that she thinks of me differently from the other Capitol people.

"I think so, but-"

"I'll be sitting on the main platform with the other stylists," I interrupt. "You'll be able to look right at me. When you're asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible."

"Even if what I think is horrible?" she asks.

"Especially if what you think is horrible," I say with a nod. "You'll try it?"

She nods. I smile at her and get ready to take her to the Training Centre. I walk over to the door and just as my hands touch the doorknob, Katniss says, "Cinna…" I can tell by her tone that she is frightened and nervous.

"Remember, they already love you," I say gently, trying my best to reassure her. "Just be yourself."

We meet Peeta, Portia, Haymitch and Effie in the elevator. Peeta looks striking with the flame- accented suit. Haymitch managed to groom himself with a clean suit and combed hair to look presentable. I look at both Katniss and Peeta, thinking that if I were a sponsor, I would definitely pitch in at least some money for them. I notice how Peeta is trying his best to not gape at Katniss and Portia notices it too. We smile at each other and Effie compliments on how splendid they look. Katniss smiles at Effie, accepting the compliment. I notice how Katniss is standing as far as she can from Haymitch in this tiny elevator, desperately trying to avoid him.

When the elevator doors open, all the other tributes are already there, sitting in a big arc on the stage. They're all sitting in order, from the District 1 female tribute all the way down to Katniss, who is the District 12 female tribute. I don't get time to give any last minute encouragements or hugs to Katniss before I rush to the main platform. I take my seat between Portia and Flavius.

Caesar Flickerman bounces onstage and the audience applauds loudly. Caesar has been the interviewer for more than 40 years, and it's a bit creepy how he looks the same for these 40 years. Always the same face under the same coat of white makeup with the same hairstyle that is styled a different colour for every Hunger Games combined with the same midnight blue suit with thousands of electrical bulbs that twinkle like stars. This year, his hair is powder blue and so are his lips.

"Hello to you all! I bet you're getting a bit tired of seeing the same face up here every year for more than 40 years now!" Caesar jokes to warm the audience up.

Everybody laughs and Caesar gets started with the interviews. The District 1 female tribute Glimmer steps onstage with a provocative see- through gown. Her angle is sexy and I guess it was easy for her mentor to help with the interview.

None of the interviews really stick in my head, except that it's clear that the District 1 and 2 tributes appear cocky and arrogant, while the other tributes are just forgettable. I look at Katniss and see that she is desperately wiping her hands on the gown and I regret not making the dress swear- proof or something. I also see that she's sitting very lady- like, which proves that the 4 hours she spent trying to master her sitting position with Effie has paid off.

When we reach little Rue from District 11, I can't help but break a little. She looks so innocent, with the gossamer gown complete with wings; she looks like a bird as she flutters to take a seat with Caesar. Her stylist, Adriana is also very talented and kind. A hush falls over the crowd, and I hope that they are thinking about how horrible it is to send an innocent little girl like Rue to die in one of the most horrific ways a child can die in.

Caesar is very sweet with her, complimenting on how sweet she looks. When he asks her what her greatest strength in the arena will be, she doesn't hesitate when she says, "I'm very hard to catch." Her voice is tremulous, but she carries on: "And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."

"I wouldn't in a million years," Caesar says encouragingly.

When her interview ends, I can't help that think that if I weren't rooting for Katniss, I would root for little Rue.

The boy tribute from District 11, Thresh, doesn't say anything- apart form one-word answers. Even Caesar, with his humour and open questions, couldn't get him to speak much.

And then he calls Katniss Everdeen. She stands and makes her way to centre stage. She shakes Caesar's hands and takes a seat.

"So, Katniss, the Capitol must be quite a change from District 12. What's impressed you most since you arrived here?"

I see her desperately looking around for me, so I lock my eyes on Katniss, hoping that she sees me. She finds my eyes and keeps them there.

"The lamb stew," she finally blurts outs.

The audience gives out a small laugh. I smile at her, hoping that it came as an encouragement.

"The one with the dried plums?" Caesar asks. Katniss nods. "Oh, I eat it by the bucketful." He turns sideways to the audience with a look of mock horror on his face and says, "It doesn't show, does it?" The audience reassures him and laugh along with him.

"Now, Katniss," he says a bit more seriously. "When you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart actually stopped. What did you think of that costume?"

I raise my eyebrow, curious to hear what she thought of the costume.

"You mean after I got over my fear of being burned alive?" she asks.

The audience lets out a heart laugh. I can't help but smile.

"Yes. Start then," Caesar says.

"I thought Cinna was brilliant and it was the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen and I couldn't believe I was wearing it. I can't believe I'm wearing this either," she says as she lifts her skirt up and spreading it out. "I mean, look at it!"

As the audience are gaping and wowing over the dress, I make the tiniest circular motion with my hands, hoping she gets the message.

She does. She twirls and the reaction is immediate. There are gasps and looks of amazement. Katniss looks just as amazing as she did in her room, except even more beautiful because of the lights.

The other tributes are looking at Katniss with jealousy, because Katniss looks extremely stunning. I think Peeta is close to drooling, just watching her. Portia laughs too when she sees Peeta's reaction.

"Oh, do that again!" Caesar says, and she does. She twirls a bit faster this time, making the skirt flair out more at the bottom. I can't help but feel a sense of pride, knowing that I had been a part of making that dress. Portia squeezes my hand and smiles.

The audience breaks into cheers and Katniss clutches onto Caesar's arms, trying to balance herself.

"Don't stop!" he says.

"I have to, I'm dizzy!" she says with a giggle, which I've never heard her do before.

Caesar puts an arm protectively around her and says, "Don't worry, I've got you. Can't have you following in your mentor's footsteps."

Everyone's hooting as all the cameras are focused on Haymitch. I can't help but laugh too, but Haymitch good- naturedly point the cameras back at Katniss.

"It's all right," Caesar continues. "She's safe with me. So, how about that training score. E-le-ven. Give us a hint about what happened in there."

She bites her lip and glances at the Gamemakers in the balcony and says, "Um… all I can say is, I think it was a first."

The cameras focus on the Gamemakers who are chuckling and nodding.

"You're killing us, Caesar says, as if in actual pain. "Details. Details."

She addresses the balcony and says, "I'm not supposed to talk about it, right?"

One of them, who I think is Plutarch Heavensbee shouts out, "She's not!"

"Thank you," Katniss says with relief. "Sorry. My lips are sealed."

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping," says Caesar. His mood is quieter now. "And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"

She seems to think it over and still looking into my eyes and also seeing the sorrow I feel for her and her family.

"Her name's Prim. She's just twelve. And I love her more than anything."

The City Circle is so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"What did you say to her? After the reaping?" Caesar asks.

She seems to gulp and then says, "She asked me to try really hard to win."

The audience is frozen at the edge of their seats, hanging on to every word she says.

"And what did you say?" prompts Caesar gently.

Katniss' body tenses up and I swear her voice drops one octave lower as she says, "I swore I would."

"I bet you did," Caesar says, giving Katniss' shoulder a squeeze as the buzzer indicating that 3 minutes is over goes off. "Sorry we're out of time. Best of luck, Katniss Everdeen, tribute from District 12."

A sense of pride washes over me as I clap my hardest for Katniss. The applause goes on long after Katniss has seated. I give her a thumbs up, so I can at least say that she did a great job.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the male tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark!"

Peeta stands up with a huge grin on his face and makes his way to Caesar. He doesn't seem too nervous when he takes a seat after shaking hands with Caesar.

"So, you're the baker's son, am I right, Peeta?"

Peeta nods with a smile. "That's right."

And then Peeta goes on to comparing the tributes to breads from their district.

"So Peeta, what has impressed you most since arriving in the Capitol?" Caesar asks.

Peeta puts a hand to his chin as if to think about it for a moment, "The showers."

It is true. It is amazing how many options you could have for a shower here in the Capitol.

"I swear," Peeta continues, "That there are more than 100 buttons for me to press in the bathroom. I spend half the time in the shower thinking about which button to choose. And just this morning, I accidentally pressed the wrong button, and then a shower of rose- scented goo sprayed on me!" Peeta exclaims. "It took forever for me to wash it off. Tell me, do I still smell like roses?"

Caesar sniffs Peeta and audience goes berserk with laughter. Next to me, Portia is laughing and I can't help but laugh too.

"Okay, now down to the serious stuff. Tell me, is there a special girl, perhaps, a girlfriend back home?" Caesar asks curiously.

Peeta hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" coaxes Caesar.

Portia and I look at each and smile, for we both knew who he had his eyes on.

Peeta sighs. "Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

Sounds of sympathy escape the lips of the audience.

"Does she have another fellow?" Caesar asks.

"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her," Peeta answers with a crease of his eyebrow.

"So here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" Caesar says encouragingly. The audience yells support.

"I don't think it's going to work out. Winning… won't help in my case," Peeta says with a small frown.

"Why ever not," Peeta asks, mystified.

Peeta blushes beet red and stammers out, "Because… because… she came here with me."

**I decided to end it the same time as the book, but WE'RE ALMOST AT THE GAMES! :D Please please, please, please REVIEW! You hate it, you love it, TELL ME! I know I said this at least 100 times, but they really are my motivation for writing more! I'll try to upload the next chapter ASAP, but I will update faster with more reviews (:**


	9. Chapter 8: Interview Part 2

**HELLO AGAIN :D I decided to upload this one quickly because this one was continuing off that one and didn't feel like leaving you guys hanging there ;) Just joking. ENJOY (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_Peeta blushes beet red and stammers out, "Because… because… she came here with me."_

The camera focuses on Peeta's downcast eyes as what he says sinks in. Then Katniss' surprised face is magnified on every screen in Panem. She presses her lips together and looks at the floor, trying desperately to hide the furious blush that colours her cheeks.

My eyes widen at what Peeta just said. Peeta had just admitted to the whole of Panem that he loved Katniss. I don't know what to think. I really don't. I'm just wondering about whether this was the reason he decided to be coached separately, because he wanted Haymitch to help him with this idea and not want Katniss to know about it?

"Oh, that's a piece of bad luck," says Caesar, with what sounds like genuine sympathy and pain for Peeta.

The crowd is murmuring in agreement, some even give agonizing cries.

"It's not good," agrees Peeta.

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard to not fall for that young lady," says Caesar. "She didn't know?"

Peeta shakes his head sadly. "Not until now."

"Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Caesar asks the audience. The crowd screams in assent. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

The roar of the crowd is deafening. When the crowd finally settles down, he chokes out a quiet "Thank you" and returns to his seat.

All the tributes stand for the anthem. Every screen is now showing the distance between Peeta and Katniss' hands, hands that may never meet. I wonder how Katniss will react to all of this later, because it was obvious that she didn't know about any of this until now.

After the anthem, Portia and I go into a car with Haymitch and Effie. I see Katniss avoiding Peeta and making sure she sits in a car that he is not in.

All people are talking about now are the star- crossed lovers of District 12 and how they were going to sponsor them, hoping that at least one of them would come out alive. At least there was a good thing coming out of this. The crowd makes it hard for the car to move, so we just sit in an awkward silence.

"Was that why Peeta wanted to be coached separately?" Portia asks Haymitch.

"Yeah. He was reasoning about how it would make her look desirable and get more sponsors and also something about how he wanted her to know before they went in the arena and all that kind of stuff," Haymitch answers.

Effie sighs. "Poor boy. I think he actually likes her."

"Loves," I correct. "He loves her, no doubt about that. I'm just worried about how Katniss might take it. Knowing her, she'd probably take it the wrong way, thinking that he made her look weak."

We get there and get in the elevator. When the elevator doors open to the twelfth floor, we see a shattered pot on the floor and Peeta lying there with a bloody hand.

"What's going on?" Effie asks, a note of hysteria in her voice. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me," Peeta answers with a wince as Portia and I help him up.

Haymitch turns to Katniss. "You shoved him?"

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" Katniss retorts.

"It was my idea," says Peeta, wincing as he pulls spikes of pottery and urn from his hands. "Haymitch just helped me with it."

"Yes, Haymitch is very helpful. To you!"

"You are a fool," Haymitch says in disgust. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own."

"He made me look weak!" I guess I was right about Katniss thinking that Peeta made her look weak.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it; you can use all the help you can in that department. You were as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star- crossed lovers from District 12!" says Haymitch.

"But we're not star- crossed lovers!" says Katniss frustratingly.

Haymitch grabs her shoulders and pin her against the wall. "Who cares? It's all a big show. It's how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh, how the boys back home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get more sponsors?"

Katniss shoves his hands off her shoulders and steps away.

I go over and put my arm over her. "He's right, Katniss." I wonder if that's the right thing to say, judging by the fact that she's already angry and she might throw another fit.

"I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid," says Katniss.

"No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have been as real," Portia says quickly.

"She's just worried about her boyfriend," says Peeta gruffly, tossing away a bloody piece of urn.

Katniss cheeks flush as she says, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Whatever," says Peeta. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?"

Poor Peeta. I don't know if Katniss sees it, but you can see through his eyes that he's breaking inside. Katniss seems to think everything over, hopefully admitting that maybe giving Peeta a bloody hand wasn't the best way to thank him for granting her the chance of more sponsors.

"After he said he loved me, did you think I could be in love with him too?" Katniss asks.

_I don't think you love him, I know you love him. _I would have said that if she wasn't in the room and didn't just push Peeta to the ground, but I have a feeling it would have got me in a lot of trouble anyway.

"I did," Portia says. "The way you avoided the cameras, the blush."

I nod my head and Effie chimes in too, even Haymitch gives a gruff yes.

"You're golden, sweetheart. You're going to have sponsors lining up around the block," says Haymitch, trying to cheer her up.

Katniss looks at Peeta. "I'm sorry I shoved you," apologizes Katniss.

Peeta being Peeta, is quick to forgive. "Doesn't matter," he says with a shrug. "Although it's technically illegal."

"Are your hands okay?" Katniss asks.

"They'll be alright," he says. By the look of those cuts, it won't be, but he's probably just saying that to reassure her.

"Come on, let's eat," says Haymitch as he leads us to the table.

We all take a seat at the table and as soon as the soup is served, Peeta's hand is bleeding so badly that Portia has to take him to get medical treatment. Katniss wears a guilty face as she drinks her soup. When we finish the soup, Portia brings Peeta back with a heavily bandaged hand. That would be a huge disadvantage for tomorrow.

After dinner, we go to the sitting room and watch the replay of the interview. Katniss looks stunning. It's amazing how you can hear the contrast between the loud cheers of the audience when Katniss is twirling with them and the silence when she's talking about Prim. In other words, Katniss interview would be hard to forget. Then it's Peeta's interview. He looks very charming and then winning as the boy in love. There's no doubt that this year, the District 12 tributes have made a lasting impression on everybody in Panem.

Then it's time for Haymitch and Effie to say goodbye to Peeta and Katniss.

Effie actually has tears in her eyes as she takes both Peeta and Katniss' hands in hers. She thanks them for being the best tributes she had escorted so far and because it's required for Effie to say something awful after a compliment, she adds, "I wouldn't be surprised at all if I get promoted to a decent district next year!"

She then kisses both Peeta and Katniss on the cheek then hurries out of the room, overcome with either the emotional parting or the excitement of the possible improvement of her fortunes.

Haymitch crosses his arms and looks both of them over.

Portia and I walk back to the sitting room and just sit there, letting them have some mentor- tribute for the last time. Besides, Portia and I will be escorting Katniss and Peeta to the arena tomorrow.

Tomorrow? Time couldn't have gone any faster. I'm just worried for both of them. I wouldn't be take it too well if I lost any of them.

Peeta suddenly comes in with a look of exasperation on his face. Portia gets up and hugs him tightly. When she lets go, Peeta sighs.

"What am I going to do about her? Is there anything I can do without making her hate me?" Peeta asks desperately.

I get up and squeeze his shoulders. "Peeta, you know Katniss is a tough nut to crack. She's scared to love. You were already brave enough to tell her you love her. You just need to give her time. But honestly Peeta, Portia and I both know that she loves you already, she just doesn't want to accept it."

"Are you sure?" Peeta asks with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Portia nods her head firmly and says, "Definitely. I'd really love to talk more, Peeta, but you need to get all the sleep you can for tomorrow, all right? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Peeta nods and I give him a hug. "Don't worry too much right now, Peeta. You've already got a lot on your plate," I say as I let go. "Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Thanks for having some faith in me; it means a lot. Bye, Cinna. See you tomorrow, Portia," Peeta says with a sad smile and walks off.

Portia gives me a tight hug and whispers, "I don't want them to die."

I rub her back soothingly as I whisper back, "I don't either. I wish there was a way to bring both of them home."

Portia gives a sarcastic laugh as she says, "No Cinna, that would cause a rebellion; won't want to cause any trouble for Snow."

I can't help but smile at her comment as I let go. We walk back to our rooms silently. Before she goes in her room, she gives a light kiss on my cheek and says goodnight.

"I'll see you before we go in the hovercraft," I say to her.

She nods and closes the door.

Tomorrow is going to be a long and painful day.

**Well... If there's anything you want to tell me, just press that button down there that says 'Review' (: **


	10. Chapter 9: The Bloodbath

**Hey again! Thanks to my reviewers **_**Blinkandyoullmissit**_** and **_**jojo167**_**! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter (:**

My alarm wakes me up before the sun rises. I sigh; remembering that today is the day Katniss and Peeta enter the arena to fight for their lives. I reluctantly get up and get dressed half- heartedly, trying to delay the fact that I'd have to send Katniss off in 3 hours.

I walk over to Katniss' room with a simple shift before dawn. Her arena clothing will be given later in the Launch Room. I walk in and see Katniss is already awake. She probably didn't get much sleep; staying up worrying about today. We don't say anything to each other, because there really is nothing to say. Anything and everything that you could say would come back to the Games, so we just stay in silence.

After I'm done changing, Cinna takes me to the roof to take the hovercraft to the catacombs underneath the arena. The hovercraft materializes out of thin air and the ladder drops down to take Katniss first. Katniss holds on to the ladder and the current freezes her in place as it rises up to take her first. I look up and see one of the doctors give Katniss the tracker so they could always find her in the arena. I see wince a little as the needle plunges into her arm, but she doesn't yelp or anything and keeps a strong face. The ladder then releases her then comes down to retrieve me.

The Avox boy in the hovercraft guide Katniss and I to a room where breakfast is laid out. I only eat a few slices of apple as my stomach doesn't feel too good due to the nerves, but Katniss devours as much food as she can, probably thinking about the fact that she may never eat good food again. She keeps her eyes on the view outside the window. I can't help but marvel at how beautiful the Capitol looks from a bird's eye view.

It takes about half an hour to arrive at our destinations. The hovercraft lands and Katniss and I go back to the ladder, only this time it brings us down into a tube underground into the catacombs. I lead Katniss to her Launch Room, where she will be until she goes to the arena. Katniss goes to the bathroom to freshen herself while I sit on the couch, nervous not for me, but for Katniss and Peeta. The last time I saw Peeta was last night and I wish I were able to see him again before he left. When Katniss comes out, I do her hair with her trademark braid down her back. Then the arena clothes are delivered through this drawer through a wall. All the tributes always wear the same outfits for the arena. I examine her clothes: simple trousers, light green blouse, sturdy brown belt and a thin, black hooded jacket that falls to the thighs.

I rub the material between my fingers and say, "The material in the jacket's designed to reflect body heat. Expect some cool nights." That's the first thing I've said to her for the whole day. I only want to say things that will help her and not anything else.

Her soft leather boots will be comfortable and have narrow flexible sole with treads, which are good for running. They are worn over skintight socks that will keep her feet warm.

As I bend down to help Katniss adjust her boot, I feel something needling my left waist and feel something in my pocket. Then I remember; Katniss' mockingjay pin! I take it out of my pocket and see Katniss' eyes widen.

"Where did you get that," she asks.

"Off the green outfit you wore on the train," I answered. "It's your district token, right?"

She nods as I fasten it on her shirt. "It barely cleared the review board. Some thought the pin could be used as a weapon, giving you an unfair advantage. But eventually, they let it through. They eliminated a ring from that District 1 girl, though. If you twisted the gemstone, a spike popped up. A poisoned one. She claimed she had no knowledge the ring transformed and there was no way to prove she did. But she lost her token. There, you're all set. Move around. Make sure everything feels comfortable."

Katniss walks and runs in a circle and swings her arms about. "Yes, it's fine. Fits perfectly."

"Then there's nothing to do but wait for the call," I say. "Unless you think you could eat any more?"

She turns down the food but accepts the glass of water I give to her. She takes tiny sips as we wait on the couch. Once again, we find ourselves in silence. But this time, this silence has a tension to it, both not wanting to talk about the horrors that Katniss would soon face. It was better if we didn't talk. Katniss presses on the spot where the woman injected the tracker until a bruise forms. I wonder if Katniss wants to talk, so I ask her.

"Do you want to talk, Katniss?"

She shakes her head but after a moment holds her hand out for me to hold. I enclose her soft hands in my calloused ones, hoping that I'm in someway, comforting her. After a few minutes, a woman in the speaker announces that it is time to prepare for launch.

Katniss continues to clench my hands as she walks over to the circular metal plate, where she will be lifted up to the arena. I then think of what Haymitch said to Katniss and Peeta last night.

"Remember what Haymitch said. Run, find water. The rest will follow," I say, with a slight tremble in my voice, but she doesn't notice. "And remember this. I'm not allowed to bet, but if I could, my money would be on you."

"Truly?" Katniss whispers, clearly terrified.

"Truly," I say in what I hope to be a firm voice. I lean down and kiss her on the forehead.

"Good luck, girl on fire."

Then a glass cylinder is lowered around the plate, cutting me off from Katniss. I tap my chin, indicating for her to have her head held high. She lifts her head high up and stands as straight as she can, then she is lifted up into the arena.

A tear is threatening to make an appearance, but I blink back the tears and look at the television that is placed on the wall opposite. It flickers on after a few seconds and I see all the tributes around the golden Cornucopia.

Then the voice of the legendary announcer Claudius Templesmith booms: "Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!"

I run quickly out of the room and run as fast as I can, thinking, _sixty seconds to get to Portia's room_.

I open the door to Portia's Launch Room and make it before they the tributes take off. I see Portia with a box of tissues in her hand and a tear- stained face. I walk over to her and hug her tightly as she cries into my shoulder. I rub her back and just say over and over again "It's alright, it's alright", though it feels as if it's more for me than her.

Portia turns around to look at the television, and I see that the camera has focused on Peeta staring intensely at Katniss, trying to get her attention, but Katniss has her eyes on an orange backpack lying 40 metres away from her. _Oh no, Katniss, don't_, I think, but knowing that she already has her mind set on getting that backpack.

Then Katniss looks to the right and sees Peeta. Peeta shakes his head subtly, as if knowing that she's going to run for the backpack. Then the gong sounds and Katniss loses a few precious seconds questioning Peeta. Katniss is first confused at which direction she should be going, but regains her senses back and sprints forward to grab a sheet of plastic and a loaf of bread, then sprints 20 more metres to get the orange backpack. I have to admit, Katniss is an incredibly fast runner.

I can almost imagine Haymitch back in the control room, groaning at Katniss for not listening to his instructions. Oh well. I just hope that the backpack would be useful for Katniss later.

Just as Katniss hands touch the handle of the backpack, the boy from District 9 grabs it at the same time. And both spend a good couple of seconds grappling for it and I swear my heart stops when he coughs up blood on her face and Katniss staggers back, repulsed by what he just did. I see the District 2 girl, Clove, taking aim at him and throwing it precisely in the middle of his back. The boy slips lifelessly to the ground. Katniss looks up and sees Clove running towards her. Katniss is her next target.

Katniss then slings the backpack over her shoulder and bolts in the direction of the sparse piney woods. I hold my breath when I see the knife whizzing towards her, but thank God Katniss has good reflexes as she uses the backpack to protect her. The knife lodges in her bag and slings both straps over her shoulder and makes her way into the woods.

I let out a long breath, relieved that Katniss has escaped the bloodiest and most dangerous part of the arena. There are 2 televisions in every Launch Room; one to always show your tribute and the other one that shows every tribute. I look at the television that still shows the bloodbath at the Cornucopia, where there are many scattered bodies on the ground, some either still fidgeting, or just dead.

The camera focuses on Peeta using his knife to fight a boy from 7. Both have a knife and are pretty good at it, but Peeta is quicker and takes the final swing at the boy. The knife cuts his stomach and he falls onto the ground. Peeta looks around and sees Cato and Clove watching him. Peeta takes a last look at the boy and looks at the boy sadly as he croaks, "I'm sorry," and runs off to find other tributes.

At this point in the bloodbath, Portia clutches to my arms so tightly until I'm pretty sure she cut off my blood circulation. So I gently pry her arms off and put them in my hands instead.

Cato makes his way into the fields after he sees Thresh take off that way. Peeta goes off to fight the boy from District 5. Clove and Glimmer are laughing evilly at the girl from 6, who is pinned down by their arms. Clove is using her sharpest knife and making cuts all over face. The girls is terrified and screaming at every cut that is made, but Glimmer and Clove just laugh. After about 10 cuts, Clove gets bored and finally sticks the knife in her heart. The girl lets out her last blood- curdling scream while Clove and Glimmer move on to torture the boy from 6.

Peeta is fighting the boy from 8 and I can tell how much hurt and fear is in his eyes. With every clash his knife makes, he winces in pain. Not in physical pain, but mental pain, because if Peeta had a choice, he would never be hurting anybody for the entertainment of the Capitol. The knife finally slips from the boy's hands and Peeta closes his eyes as he slashes the boy's stomach. He kneels down in front of the boy and says, "I'm so sorry. So sorry." The boy nods his head as he lets a tear slip down his face and breathes his last breath.

Portia is sobbing uncontrollably in my shoulder and I stroke her hair, also feeling hopeless knowing that there's nothing I can do to change this.

Then we see Cato looking for Thresh but not finding him. He pulls some wheat out in frustration and growls. He stomps out of the field, back to the Cornucopia.

It's late afternoon and the bloodbath is over. Peeta sees the Careers in a huddle and speaks to the Careers.

"Let me join you," says Peeta.

Cato smirks and says, "Why should we? Give me one good reason you'd be here and not with your little girlfriend."

Hurt flickers in Peeta's eyes but he quickly hides it. He smirks back and says, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I know where to find her and I'll lead her to you. But you won't be able to without my help."

Cato raises his eyebrows and Marvel and Glimmer from District 1 seem to consider it.

"We'll need to discuss this. Without you," says Clove.

Peeta shrugs and walks 10 metres away from them. He turns away from them and finally lets a tear slip from his eyes. He then rubs it away roughly and keeps his face hard, determined to not let the Careers see him cry. The Careers are whispering harshly, arguing quietly about whether he should join.

"He's doing this to protect Katniss. He told me just now that he had to join the Careers so he could at least try to lead them away from her," Portia whispers hoarsely.

I nodded. This was definitely something that Peeta would do; go out of his way and risk his life to save Katniss. I think it's his life mission now to get her out of this arena alive.

The Careers break and say to Peeta, "You can join. But you better not be messing with us, Lover Boy. And you'd better get used to your new nickname." Cato then pushes a scrawny boy forward. I didn't even notice him just now.

"This is Eros from 3. He'll help protect our supplies later. Clove and Glimmer, go finish off the 2 girls that are hiding by the trees over there. One already has a cut and the other is tired by carrying her all the way there," instructs Cato. Clove and Glimmer nod obediently and skip off to the 2 girls we see that are trying desperately to run away, but it's hopeless, because one of them can't move. The other leaves the girl to die and runs off. Clove and Glimmer just laugh while Clove sprints to get the girl who ran away, leaving Glimmer with the frightened girl with the big cut on her leg.

The scene then changes to Thresh. He's in the field opposite where Katniss went. This whole field is practically a plantation of different kinds of wheat. Thresh is from District 11 which is the district that specializes in agriculture, so he definitely knows what he's doing when he gathers a bunch of wheat and crushes it.

Then we see little Rue on the screen, high up in the trees, watching the Careers. She resembles a mockingjay taking flight when she tips her toes to jump from tree to tree. Her movements are fluent and graceful, like it's second nature.

Amber, the girl tribute from District 5 is at the edge of the woods, keeping a careful eye on the Careers. I see that she has a pack on her shoulder and unlike Rue, she stays down below on the ground but is quick on her feet.

The cameras go back to the Careers and I see that Cato and Peeta have made a neat pile of the supplies they found in the Cornucopia. Eros, the tribute from 3, has somehow dug up the mines from the metal plates and drawn crosses in a weird shape on the ground and is opening them up with a sharp stick. Cato, Peeta and Marvel are digging up holes where Eros put marks on; holes big enough for the mines.

It then changes so we see Katniss spot a rabbit and kill it with her knife. She isn't too bad with the knife either.

We then see Glimmer strike a knife into the girl's skull and the cannons finally go off. Eleven cannons in total.

I shake my head, thinking about how many families are grieving for their children, and how many people are grieving for their friends. It's heart- wrenching.

On the other screen, I see Katniss resting and opening up a pack. It's good. She has a thin black sleeping bag which reflects heat, a pack of crackers, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of wooden matches, a small coil of wire, a pair of night- vision sunglasses and an empty 2- litre plastic bottle. Katniss looks frustrated when she saw that there wasn't any water in the bottle, but she doesn't let is bother her too much as she puts everything back in her pack again. She seems to look around and take in her surroundings. There are no good places for concealment or places she can spend the night in, so she carries on walking and uses the knife she got from Clove to cut away a piece of tree bark and chews on it.

Twilight is closing in and everybody needs to find a good place to sleep and settle in. The Careers are huddled around Eros, who is explaining something to them.

"I've reactivated the mines and arranged them in a formation you guys need to memorize. Any wrong footing and you will destroy both you and the supplies. The mines react to any weight that is put on it," explains Eros, motioning at the mines. "Watch me carefully," Eros says.

He does a little jig on the floor and then gets to the middle, where all the supplies are put.

"Good. We better not mess this up," says Cato. "Eros, you will be taking care of the supplies when we go hunting at night. You hear me?"

Eros nods his head and steps away from Cato, clearly intimidated by him.

"And you, Lover Boy," says Cato as he points at Peeta. "You will help us find Katniss tomorrow. If not, you're dead." Peeta nods his head, keeping his face neutral.

I look at the other screen and see Katniss climb up a willow tree. Good thing she chose a willow tree, because it should offer her concealment and it's strong enough to keep her weight up. She sets her sleeping bag up and gets in a comfortable position.

The Careers are eating some beef strips inside the supply circle. Little Rue has gathered some berries and is munching on them. Like Katniss, she has settled up on a tree but she doesn't have a sleeping bag with her. Thresh has somehow woven a blanket of some sort using the wheat and lies on the ground. Amber is sleeping in a cave, cleverly concealed by other rocks that she gathered in front. The girl from District 4 whose name I don't remember is shivering from the cold and wandering aimlessly in the forest.

The sky has just darkened when the anthem plays. This is the time when they project the faces of the tributes that had died during the day. There is the girl from District 3, the boy from 4, the boy from 5, both from 6, 7, 8 and 9 and finally, the girl from 10. Twelve dead. Twelve left. Half gone in one day.

It's finally the end of the first day in the Games. How many more days and deaths will these poor children have to endure until one can finally go home?

Portia and I have been sitting in the Launch Room for nearly a whole day. Portia is still holding my hands tightly and her eyes still a bit red from crying. I decide to go get something to eat back in the control room with Haymitch so I get up and hold Portia's hand as we board the hovercraft. The catacombs are eerily quiet and empty, for all the other stylists probably already went back to the control rooms.

When we arrive at the control room, Haymitch and Effie greet us with a hug. Haymitch is actually smiling and Effie is actually squealing. It is the first time in a long time that 2 tributes from District 12 have survived the bloodbath. Portia manages to give them a genuine smile.

"How is the sponsoring going?" I ask.

"Just great, we should have enough money to buy almost anything from a blanket to medicine from now on," says Effie with excitement.

"Great. I'm going to take Portia to her room and order something to eat; we didn't eat for the whole day," I say to Haymitch.

Haymitch nods and says, "I probably won't ever be leaving this room, so I'll be here if you need me." I nod and put my arm over Portia's shoulders as we walk to her room.

She orders the chicken with orange sauce and some rice using the device and we wait in silence for the food to come, with her hand still in mine. When the food arrives, I slowly let go of Portia's hands and start to eat. My hands feel empty and cold without hers in mine.

When we're done, I clear up at tell Portia to go get changed. She nods and goes in. She comes out with sweatpants and a simple t- shirt and sits next to me. I hold her hand as she lies on my shoulder.

"I wish the Hunger Games never existed. Every year, I spent most of the time watching it, just crying. It's worse without you, Cinna," Portia says with a sniffle.

I turn to her and cup her cheeks in my hands. "I won't leave you," I say softly to Portia.

She blinks a couple of times and puts her arms around my neck. I lean in and the distance between our lips get smaller, and smaller, and smaller. I look into her captivating brown eyes and it seems like she has put a trance on me, because I can't look at anything but her eyes. When our lips touch, I feel fireworks bursting in my head and goosebumps erupting everywhere my body comes in contact with her body. Our eyes flicker close at the same time and I kiss her lips gently. I put my hands on her waist as her hands pull me closer to her. Her lips are soft and warm and I just about melt when she takes my bottom lip between hers. My heart is beating 200 miles per hour and my brain just shut down and all I could focus on was how good this felt. This moment is so perfect that I just want to freeze it right here and now.

When we finally break, Portia is grinning and I have a feeling my expression mirrors hers.

"Go to sleep now, Portia," I say softly as I stroke her cheek.

She smiles as I tuck her in. I plant a kiss on her forehead and just as I'm about to go, she grabs my wrist. I look down at her and see desperation in her eyes.

"Don't leave, Cinna," she begs.

I can't help but smile. I take my shoes off and go in the bed, pulling the blankets over and wrapping my arms around her with her back pressed against my chest.

"Goodnight, Cinna," she says with a yawn.

"Goodnight, Portia."

**WELL. This was by far the hardest chapter to write in terms of emotions :P I hope you guys liked the little romantic scene I put in there ;) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 10: Survival

**HELLO AGAIN! In honour of the 11****th**** chapter, I'd like to thank my reviewers so far: **_**James018**_**, **_**Duchess of Night**_**, **_**Hayley TT Showbiz**_**, **_**jojo167**_**, **_**Blinkandyoullmissit **_**and last but DEFINITELY not least: **_**primstar**_**! I definitely wouldn't be able to write without any of them. Thank you guys so much and I also like to thank the people who put this story for a story alert and favourite story and added me as a favourite author! You guys are amazing and were my motivation for writing more. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

"_Cinna," says my dad as he kneels down to face me._

"_Mother and I will have to go on another business trip again. Will you be okay by yourself?"_

_I nod my head. "Will you be back soon?"_

_He hesitates as he answers, "It's going to be a rather long one, but I'll come back as soon as I can. Be strong, Cinna. I know it's a lot to ask from a 9 year old, but be strong for us."_

_Suddenly, the door bursts open and Peacekeepers are raiding our little apartment and pull my dad away from me. _

"_Dad!"_

I wake up before I see what happens afterwards. Ever since my parents left that note from me, I've been getting nightmares of my parents dying or tortured by Peacekeepers. What I just dreamt was when I was 9 and it was the 5th time in one year that my dad would leave for another of those business meetings. He would always leave for more than 2 months or so. What I dreamt was actually real; Peacekeepers did raid my home once and tortured him. He came back home limping and with whip marks on his back.

I take deep breaths to slow down my racing heartbeat. I blink a couple times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. Right in front of me is a head of brown hair and for a moment, I freak out. Then I remember last night, how Portia wanted me to stay and fell asleep with her in my arms. I sigh with relief. I look at the bedside clock and see that it is quarter to six. I suddenly think of Katniss in the arena and decide to go check up on how she's doing. So I slowly get up and wake Portia up.

"Portia, wake up," I say as I gently shake her awake and pull the blanket off her.

Portia turns over and mumbles something under her breath and pulls the blankets over her shoulder.

I chuckle and kiss her tenderly on the cheek. Portia's eyes blink open and looks at me with surprise.

"Morning, sleepy- head," I say to her. "Get up; we need to go to the Control Room to check up on Katniss and Peeta, remember?"

Portia sits up quickly and rushes to the bathroom to get ready.

"I'm going to my room to get ready," I yell as I leave the room.

When I go back to her room she's already dressed and ordered my normal breakfast: an apple and some orange juice. She has a bowl of yogurt and cereal. She smiles when I come in and invites me to sit next to her on the bed.

When we're done, we make our way quickly to the Control Room and see that Effie is curled up on the couch and seems to have fallen asleep and Haymitch is sitting next to her with an empty wine bottle in his hands. The District 12 Control Room is the same as the other Control Rooms. There are 3 screens in the room; the first one that follows your female tribute, the second one for your male tribute and the third one to just watch the other tributes. There are also the few buttons on the control panel for when Haymitch wants to send a parachute to his tributes.

"I see you've made it," Haymitch says as he taps the bottle with his fingers. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Portia lets a little blush creep up her cheeks as I say, "Yeah. Did you stay here for the whole night?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't alone. As you can see, Effie decided to stay here with me," Haymitch says, gesturing at Effie, who's lying on his shoulder with her wig completely lopsided. I can't help but laugh at the sight.

"How are Katniss and Peeta?" asks Portia.

"Katniss was sleeping until the stupid girl from 4 decided to make a fire a stone's throw away from her. But what makes it worse is that Katniss is just staying up that tree, probably wondering whether she should kill her or just stay up there. If you ask me, that's the stupidest thing she's done so far," says Haymitch with a growl.

I look at the screen and see that what Haymitch said was true. The smoke from the fire rises high up into the air, which will indicate to everybody in the arena that someone is making a fire and is probably weak because that person is desperate enough to make a fire. Katniss is really just sitting there, looking into space. The girl from District 4 is warming her hands over a fire and is no longer just shivering, but shaking vigorously from the cold. The Careers are a good 200 metres away from Katniss and the girl, and I want to shout so badly, "_KATNISS, GET UP AND RUN!_" but I know it would be no use, so I just stand there silently, praying that Katniss will somehow have the sense to get up and run away as fast as possible.

But sadly, she doesn't. I notice that Peeta is joined by the other Careers: Glimmer, Clove and Cato, but no Marvel and Eros. Probably stayed back to guard the supplies. Peeta looks hurt mentally and physically. His face is swollen with bruises, a bloody bandage on his arm and is limping. He received all these injuries while fighting in the bloodbath. His eyes used to be a bright cyan colour, but now they are dark and fearful. Cato spots the girl and they all break into a run, with Peeta looking reluctant but jogging behind them. The girl must've fell asleep because she's lying on the floor, curled up in a ball. Clove goes and yanks her hair violently, which causes the girl to wake up. She looks at them with wide, terrified eyes and trembles vigorously as she tries to back away.

She pleads, "Please, don't kill me, I've got 2 younger sisters at home and they need me-"

She's cut off by Cato's knife, slitting the lower bit of her throat that connects to the left side of her shoulder. She let's out an agonizing scream and is thrown back by the force of the blow, and falls right next to her fire with her eyes closed.

Cato, Clove and Glimmer are cheering and hooting in delight, but Peeta looks forlorn. "Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking," Cato says with a smirk as he walks away.

They walk in the direction of Katniss' tree and stop 10 metres away from it. I see Katniss on the other screen, as still as stone. The sky is starting to light up and if it gets any brighter, her black sleeping bag and neon orange backpack will be utterly noticeable.

Portia realizes this too and grabs onto my arm tightly. I wrap my left arm around her waist and hold her right hand tightly in mine. Her touch somehow calms me down and slows my nervous heartbeat.

Glimmer raises her eyebrows and says suspiciously, "Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately," says Clove.

"Unless she isn't dead," says Glimmer.

"She's dead. I stuck her myself," says Cato, his voice clear with annoyance.

"Then where's the cannon?" asks Glimmer with her hands on her hips.

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done," reasons Clove.

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice," says Glimmer with a roll of her eyes.

"I said she's dead!" says Cato angrily.

An argument breaks out and Peeta looks hopeless.

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!" Peeta says harshly as he walks briskly to the girl.

Cato smirks as he says, "Go on then, Lover Boy. See for yourself."

I see Katniss nearly fall out of the tree with shock when she realizes that it's Peeta's voice she's hearing. She is now upside down and makes a small rustling noise, but the Careers don't hear her. She turns back upwards to the tree and takes a deep breath to regain her composure.

Peeta walks over to the girl and turns back to check that the Careers are not looking at him.

He looks at the girl and sees that she's still breathing, but she won't be alive for long, judging by the fact that Cato slit the part of her throat and the end of the cut is pretty close to her heart. The cut isn't deep, but it will kill her. She opens her eyes and looks at him with a frightened expression and Peeta calms her down by taking his hands in hers.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry for your sisters," Peeta says with so much pain in his voice that you'd think he was the one losing his family.

The girl lets a huge tear slides down her cheek. She gives Peeta's hand a small squeeze then closes her eyes, her breathing becoming even heavier and longer. She's going to die any minute now, but Peeta carries on holding her hand.

At this point, Portia is crying silent tears and Peeta looks torn apart. Deep inside, I feel like my heart just broke into millions of tiny pieces too, but I stay strong for Portia and squeeze her shoulders reassuringly, trying to comfort her. She leans her head on my shoulder and wipes her tears away.

While Peeta's there, Cato, Clove and Glimmer are discussing about him.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?" says Glimmer.

"Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife," says Cato.

"Besides, he's our best chance of finding her," says Clove.

I have a gut feeling she's not talking about Rue or Amber.

"Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?" says Glimmer dryly.

"She might have. Seemed pretty simple- minded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke," says Clove and holding her throat, as if really gagging herself.

"Wish we knew how she got that eleven," says Cato.

"Bet you Lover Boy knows."

Just as they say that, Peeta whispers goodbye to the girl and gets up. He gives her one last look and walks back.

"Was she dead?" asks Cato, quickly switching the subject.

"No. But she is now," answers Peeta. Right at that moment, the cannon fires, confirming that she really is dead. "Ready to move on?"

They walk off in the direction they came in. I can't help but admire Peeta's will to keep Katniss alive and his determination to not kill someone in vain. Katniss is extremely lucky to have a guy like Peeta in her life. Peeta is probably one of the few people in her life who would sacrifice their own life for her.

Katniss rolls her sleeping bag up and puts it in her backpack and jumps to the ground. All the cameras are now trained on her, realizing that she has been there the whole time, listening and aware of everything that has been going on. She must know this, because she pauses a second, then cocks her head slightly to the side and gives a knowing smile.

"Very smart," comments Haymitch. "She's one step ahead of the game."

I nod. Effie has just woke up and is groggily adjusting her wig, but giving up altogether and takes it off. She rubs her eyes and smudging her make up in the process. Effie's natural hair is strawberry blonde and is tied up in a tight bun. I personally think that she looks much better without the wig.

I look back at the screen and see that Katniss remembered to check her snares. She's rewarded with a fine rabbit and in no time, she has cleaned and gutted the animal, leaving the head, feet, tail, skin and innards and pauses. She suddenly runs to the dead girl's fire and cuts up the rabbit and puts it over some branches and coal to cook. When it's done cooking, she gets up and walks in the opposite direction Peeta went. She eats half of the rabbit while walking and wraps up the other half for later.

Claudius Templesmith's commentating brings me out of my thoughts. "Well, well, well. Our star- crossed from District 12 seem to be heading 2 completely different paths! What could be the reason behind Peeta joining the Careers? Did Katniss overhear everything the Careers talking about? Continue watching and I'm sure we'll find out soon! The District 1 and 2 tributes seem to be in the lead in terms of how many people they've killed. Mandatory viewing at 3, so make sure your televisions are on!" Three in the afternoon is usually when all the schools in Panem end, but they show the Games on the television in the cafeteria during lunchtimes anyway.

Peeta and the others make it back to their camp and Marvel and Eros are there, sitting within good distance from the supplies, away from the mines though. Glimmer tells them about how they killed the girl from 4, which was from the cannon that was fired just now. They settle down and eat some food and practice more of their skills on the nearby trees.

Little Rue is a good 100 metres into the forest from the Cornucopia, perched up on the trees and munching on berries and leaves. I'm relieved that she's safe and unhurt.

Amber is as sly as a fox; even though she's only a good 20 metres away from the Careers, she manages to keep an incredibly low profile and is even quieter than ant when she walks. Like Rue, Katniss and Thresh, they have managed to get through these 2 days and not kill anybody.

There's a beeping and it's coming from a blinking light on Haymitch's tablet.

"Oh, look, we just got ourselves another sponsor. Catch you later," Haymitch says as he presses the button and go out the room. Before he leaves, he turns around and looks at Portia and I. "You know, you guys can sit on the couch. You've been standing there for the past 4 hours just staring at the screen. Effie, you're coming with me. We'll be in the sitting room later, so just come join us later." I nod.

Effie gets up obediently, says goodbye to us and goes with Haymitch.

I lead Portia to the leather couch and sit down. Portia leans her head on my shoulder and I put my arms around her.

"Do you want to go sit in the sitting room with Venia and the others?" I ask her quietly.

"Later," Portia says softly. "I just want to spend my time with you for now."

I kiss her forehead softly and continue watching Katniss.

The sun is starting to rise and I see Katniss hiking along the trees and see that she is dehydrated, using the rabbit grease to wipe her lips to stop herself from panting.

She just carries on walking for the next few hours and Portia looks worried.

"Shouldn't Haymitch send her some water?" she asks.

I shake my head. "I think that she will find water eventually. Streams and rivers travel downhill, so she should at least be encountering a water source sooner or later. Besides, Haymitch would only send water to her if there is no other water source in the arena," I say, also trying to convince myself.

She's carries on walking for the next 2 hours, looking extremely pale and fatigue, with her cracked lips and short and quick breaths.

At the Cornucopia, Cato, Clove, Marvel and Glimmer set off to go hunting, leaving Peeta and Eros to guard the supplies.

Peeta is sharpening his knife and Eros is just fiddling with a spare mine.

"Do you have any siblings?" asks Peeta, not making eye contact with Eros.

"Two younger brothers," Eros replies while pulling up some blades of grass. "You?"

"Two older brothers," answers Peeta. He puts the sword down and looks at Eros.

"Will you be in an alliance with them all the time or are you going to leave them soon?" asks Peeta.

Eros shrugs. "I'll stay for as long as they will let me. Besides, what are the chances of me winning? And don't even try saying otherwise; I have gave up hope a long time ago," Eros says coldly.

Peeta nods. "I guess I could say that I agree with you, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I go back home alive. I'd have nothing to live for."

Eros looks at Peeta weirdly. "Why? Because of the District 12 girl?"

Peeta looks down and nods.

Eros looks surprised. "I thought it was all an act. But still, though. You love her enough to die for her?"

Peeta answers, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that I could've saved her. Like I said, I'd have nothing to live for when I get back."

Eros scoffs as he says, "Good luck getting her alive when she's on the top of Cato's 'To Kill' list."

Both are silent until the Careers come back. Cato and Marvel are laughing and Glimmer and Clove are rolling their eyes but smiling. Clove and Glimmer do the weird jig to get to the centre of the supplies and grab some food.

"I think we should go to the sitting room now," Portia says to me.

We get up and head there. We see Flavius, Venia, and Octavia chatting animatedly to the other prep team from 2. Asteria, Saunders and Malvolio are drinking wine while talking about what they think about the new magenta wig that Asteria is wearing. All the other stylists and mentors are chatting about anything but the Games, really.

I shake my head, thinking about how they treat this as just another game, a game where children aren't dying. But the Hunger Games isn't _just another game_; at least, not to me.

I decide to eat something, since I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. I see Haymitch and Effie are chatting to a woman, who I'm guessing is a sponsor. Well, Haymitch is really just standing there with his arms crossed while Effie is wearing her biggest smile and doing all the talking. The woman smiles and takes a moneybag out of her bejeweled purse and hands it to Effie. It seems to be filled with thousands of coins. Effie is beaming and shakes the woman's hand and even Haymitch is smiling. The woman leaves, and Effie is jumping up and down while Haymitch is calming her down. They spot us and Effie practically skips over.

"That woman just gave us 500 coins to sponsor both Katniss and Peeta!" says Effie excitedly, hugging the bag to her chest. "500 coins!"

Portia grins. "That's great, Effie!"

Haymitch nods. "How's Katniss?"

"Katniss is dehydrated and probably won't be able to walk for long at the rate she's going," I say. "Is she far from a water source?"

Haymitch shakes his head. "If she doesn't find the stream today, she'll find it tomorrow. She needs to understand my way of thinking. Otherwise, she will not be able to get through this."

He takes out a tablet from his jacket and we see a red dot blinking amongst a cluster of trees. About 500 metres down from the red dot, is a stream.

"Katniss is that red dot. See how close she is from the stream? She's strong enough to get through this, Cinna. Trust me," says Haymitch.

"What are you going to do about Peeta?" asks Portia.

"Peeta's fine. He'll manage," says Haymitch as he looks away.

I cross my fingers and hope that Haymitch is right. Haymitch and Effie go and sort the money out while Portia and I eat our meals.

I make eye contact with Finnick and we both give slight nods to acknowledge each other. Johanna is talking to him and nods at me too.

Beetee sees me and smiles. I smile back and wave. Wiress looks like she's in a trance.

I continue to watch the screen while eating my lamb stew. It's nightfall in the arena and Katniss is hauling herself up a tree. She's sucking on a rabbit bone to give her mouth something to do and help distract herself from thinking about how thirsty she is.

Peeta is sitting on the ground, drawing patterns on the grass with his knife as the others are chatting in a circle. Eros seems to be fidgeting with a mine, like he's fixing it.

Night falls and the anthem starts playing. The image of the girl from District 4 that Cato killed today is projected in the sky. Only one tribute died today, which is a good thing for everybody else but the Gamemakers. If nobody else dies tomorrow, the Gamemakers are bound to make it more 'interesting' and pull some kind of stunt to either take a tribute out or bring them together to fight.

Portia and I decide to stay with Haymitch for the night. We go back to our rooms to shower and get ready and go back to the sitting room. Haymitch is still there. I don't think he has had a change of clothes since yesterday. He tells us that Effie will come in the morning, and I don't think I'm dreaming when I see Haymitch frown a little, upset that Effie won't be staying. Or maybe it's just me.

Some mentors like Finnick and Johanna, are also sleeping in the sitting room. I get an Avox to bring a blanket for Portia and I tuck her in on the couch. I kiss her forehead and settle down on the floor.

-xxx-

"Haymitch just send her the water already! She's going to die!"

I wake up to hear Effie's screeching and quickly get up, eager to find out what's going on. Portia groans at them but sits up and smooths her hair out, muttering something about how they should learn to keep their voices down.

Katniss is trudging along some trees looking exhausted. I take the tablet out of Haymitch's hands and see that Katniss is 50 metres away from a pond.

"Cinna, help me here!" says Haymitch, clearly frustrated at Effie's constant persuasion to send Katniss water. "You see how close she is to the pond! Do you think that it's worth it to spend our money just to see her give up when she is so incredibly close?" says Haymitch, looking like he's about to pull his hair out.

"I think that Haymitch is right, Effie. We have to make Katniss keep pushing; she's almost there. She'll make it," I reason, choosing the right words so I won't put any of them off.

Effie huffs. "Fine, but I'm only agreeing because Cinna was patient enough to say it nicely without yelling at me with foul language."

Haymitch scowls and throws his hands up in the air, exasperated.

I can't help but laugh at them. They may act like they hate each other, but deep down inside they really do care for each other and couldn't live without the other.

I turn my attention back to the screen and see that Katniss is slouching on the ground, looking extremely worn out and incredibly thirsty.

"Water," she says with a croaky voice.

Haymitch snorts and yells at the screen, "Get your lazy ass off the ground and get walking!"

By now, all the mentors and stylists are here and staring at Haymitch with weird looks. I pat Haymitch on the back, hoping that he'll calm down. He mutters profanity under his breath and yells at and Avox to bring him some wine, even though the table is crowded with at least 5 empty wine bottles.

Katniss is covering her face with her hands and is anguished. She stays in that position and then her head suddenly snaps up. She gets up and continues walking, as if she suddenly found the motivation to go on. She uses a branch as a walking stick and keeps walking. Closer and closer she gets to the pond, until she's only 10 metres away from the water. Her legs are shaking and she seems to be panting heavily.

"Keep going, Katniss, keep going, almost there," mutters Effie, eyes intense. Haymitch doesn't even bother looking as he takes a swig from his bottle; either from the fact that he already gave up hope or he already knows that she'll get to the pond.

Her brain is clearly not functioning well because she's only 5 metres away from the pond when she collapses into the mud. There are water lilies floating on the water and I'm sure that being that close to it, you'd be able to smell it. Or maybe her senses are failing too. She's drawing mud swirls on the ground for a couple of seconds.

"It's mud, you stupid girl! The pond is right in front of your freaking face!" yells Haymitch with rage. He yells more profanity; something along the lines of a 'female dog' and 'donkey'.

As if Katniss heard Haymitch, she crawls weakly to the pond and sees the water right in front of her eyes. Her trembling hands gets the flask out from her backpack, fills it up with the pond water and adds 8 drops of iodine to it.

Effie is crying tears of joy and is hugging Portia while jumping up and down, celebrating that Katniss has finally found water. Portia is laughing at the excited Effie and gets up to hug me. I hug her back tightly and see Haymitch can't help but smirk and says to Effie, "I told you so."

Effie rolls her eyes but smiles.

After about half an hour, Katniss takes huge gulps of water and she finishes 2 litres of water within minutes. She fills it up with pond water again, waits another half and hour for the iodine to purify it then guzzles another 2 litres. She fills it up again, adds the iodine drops and climbs up a tree to settle down for the night. She eats a bit of her rabbit and her precious crackers. She snuggles in her sleeping bag and hugs the water bottle to her chest.

The Careers also had an uneventful day in the arena, just throwing knives at the tress and Glimmer is hopelessly trying her best to shoot a bow and arrow but failing.

Soon it is nighttime and the anthem is playing. No tributes die today, which guarantees that tomorrow, someone will die. My stomach ties up in knots, knowing that another child will die under the hands of the Capitol.

Portia and I decide to stay here again and so does Effie. Haymitch sits on the ground by Effie, who is sleeping on the couch. I do the same as Portia lies on the couch. Both Effie and Portia fall asleep in minutes.

Mentors and stylists file out of the room and this time, there's nobody else in the room except for the District 12 team.

"You really care about Portia, don't you?" asks Haymitch as he sips his wine.

I nod. "Doesn't take a fool to notice that you care for Effie."

Haymitch shrugs. "She may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she's alright."

I chuckle. "You guys are such a dysfunctional couple, but I think that's what makes you guys special."

Haymitch chuckles as I settle on the floor to sleep.

"Night, Haymitch. Don't get too drunk."

-xxx-

My eyes are blinded by the bright oranges coming off the screen. I squint, but it's hard to miss the wall of fire charging towards Katniss.

**So I hope you liked it! I got my facts wrong in the bit where it's supposed to be the District 8 girl who dies, not the District 4 girl… But I hope it doesn't affect the story too much! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 11: Fog Bound

**HELLO MY FRIENDS! We're at the 12****th**** chapter already! Exams are coming up and I may not have as much time as I would like to update, but I'll update whenever I can. :D The title 'Fog Bound' is actually one of the soundtracks for the Pirates of the Caribbean. Just thought you should know :P Hope you enjoy (:**

_My eyes are blinded by the bright oranges coming off the screen. I squint, but it's hard to miss the wall of fire charging towards Katniss._

"HAYMITCH, DO SOMETHING!" barks Effie while making wild hand gestures. "THEY'RE GOING TO DIE, HAYMITCH? DO YOU REALLY WANT THAT TO HAPPEN?"

"STOP YELLING, BECAUSE I CAN'T DO ANYTHING EFFIE!" snaps Haymitch. He glares at her menacingly. "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, OKAY?" He's running his hands through his messy hair and letting out frustrated growls and pacing up and down the room. He's muttering ugly profanity under his breath while Effie crosses her arms and looks agitated, but her eyes show deep concern.

Katniss is running as fast as she can; away from the ascending wall of fire that is chasing her on. Branches are cutting her cheeks and arms as she charges through the thick fog of smoke. I'm praying so hard that she'll make out it out of this alive and not too severely injured.

It seems that the fire is targeted to draw the Careers and Katniss together. It's not a surprise. It has been some uneventful days in the arena and Capitol citizens would have gotten bored and that is something that the Games are supposed to avoid. The huge screen that shows where all the tributes are is crowded with mentors and stylists pointing at the red dots that represent each tribute. They're all talking about what the Gamemaker's intentions are and making assumptions about what will happen. Some are even guessing who's going to die and who's going to get hurt.

Katniss jumps over a burning log but doesn't jump high enough. The tail end of her jacket catches onto it and she spends precious seconds taking it off and stuffing it in her bag. After a few more seconds of Katniss running, the Gamemakers step the game up a notch by shooting fireballs at Katniss. The fireballs are only the size of an apple, but the impact and damage it will make when it comes into contact with another object or person will be immensely massive.

It's not hard to imagine a Gamemaker sitting in a control room with numerous screens all around him, using a joystick and button to aim and fire them. It's revolting, the way they can make all this just another game. All he needs is Katniss to stop for more than a second for him to get a clear aim at her, and just like that, he could kill anything and anybody.

Every time there is a hiss of a fireball, Katniss reacts to it by pressing herself flat against the ground. Each fireball is only inches away from hitting her. This goes on for a minute or so without any incidents, but then a fireball speeds towards Katniss and sears off a bit of the end of her braid. She examines it for a moment and I tense up when another fireball is soaring towards her. She hears the hiss and reacts, but not fast enough. The fireball brushes her calf and leaves a huge burn. She rolls over in the soil to lessen the pain, but it's still going to leave a nasty mark there. Her hands are covered in welts and her eyes are reflecting the pain and fear she feels.

I hear Arviragus' piercing voice amongst the small crowd in front of the crowd. "Katniss; the girl on fire. Oh, the irony!"

A couple of the others join him in laughter with him and I can't help but feel a bit upset. It's not that I'm scared of Arviragus or hurt by his comment, but it's the fact that the costume that I designed for her might've inspired this idea for the Gamemakers. My stomach ties up in knots and in my head, I'm desperately trying to send a message to Katniss: _I'm sorry_.

The fire is suddenly extinguished; the Gamemakers have decided not to kill Katniss. But there is still the suffocating fog that is hanging in the air and the threat of lurking tributes. Katniss is worn out and I can't help but feel worried about her calf.

"I think you should send her medicine for her calf," I say to Haymitch.

"Yes, I think it's a huge disadvantage for her. It'll only slow her down and cause excruciating pain," agrees Portia.

Haymitch grunts. "Fine, but if I am going to, I'm waiting until tomorrow to see how bad it is."

I nod and turn back to the screen. She seems extremely lethargic and is limping along the forest floor. Daylight is emerging but the fog doesn't allow Katniss to see very far. A tribute could easily take her down here. She's tired, injured and they could use the fog as an advantage. But judging by the other tributes' locations on the other screen, she's quite far away from them.

"She's awfully close to a pond," comments Effie as she points at Haymitch's tablet.

"She'll get there. Don't bother me about sending her anything for now," snaps Haymitch as he walks away to the food table.

Effie sighs and goes away to talk to Lucia Salerio, the escort from District 11.

Portia chuckles. "Those two. One minute they're laughing together, and the next thing you see is Effie screaming at Haymitch about something he has and hasn't done."

I smile. Portia frowns, then points to the screen and says, "Peeta."

I tighten my grip on Portia when I see how much Peeta has changed. I was so busy worrying about Katniss that I didn't focus on what was happening to Peeta. I'm feeling a bit ashamed, because really, I think Peeta needs more support and attention than Katniss does, because he's the one who just went out of his way and willingly risking his life to save the person he loves. He's trudging behind the others and he looks beaten on the inside. A deep frown is pasted on his face and he looks at his feet as he walks. It's agonizing to see how the Games can make a person like Peeta, who used to be so bright and happy, change to a miserable person. It's heartbreaking. I know Portia feels this too as she lets out a choked sob.

Then I see a cluster of red dots on the other screen heading towards the one red dot, which represents Katniss. They are heading towards Katniss. I stiffen and now I'm hoping that they don't cross paths. But if they do and Katniss doesn't hide or head up a tree soon, they will find her. And it won't be good. I also see another red dot heading towards her from the opposite direction, but I hope whoever that tribute is would harm Katniss. I hope.

Katniss soaks her leg in the shallow water and her face immediately relaxes. The best thing to do right after you get a burn is run it under cold water. Her hands are only covered in small welts and minor burns, so the water should be okay for her hands, but her calf needs much more attention. She slowly takes her water bottle out of her bag and fills it with pool water. She then adds the iodine and waits half an hour then rehydrates herself. She must be extremely thirsty from all the running and the smoke. For now, I'm just happy that she's safe. But every second more she spends in the water, a second closer the Careers will get to her.

When the Careers are about 100 metres away from her, I see that Katniss is staring off into space and has entered a stupor.

"Get up, Katniss, get up, they're coming," whispers Portia.

Katniss snaps up when she hears their footsteps and quickly scrambles up a tree. She winces every time her hands makes contact with the tree bark and I make a mental note to remind Haymitch again to get her medicine for her burns.

When she's about 5 metres up in the tree, she looks down and sees that they are a only a few feet away from her tree. She looks at them and gives a mischievous smile.

"Oh no, Katniss, don't do anything stupid now," I mutter under my breath.

"How's everything with you?" asks Katniss cheerfully, looking down at them.

They're all taken aback and Peeta's eyes widen in surprise. He seems to be shaking his head and pulls his hair in frustration. If I were in his shoes, I would be doing the same. Imagine seeing the person you are trying to keep alive willingly knock on death's doorstep. He then takes a deep breath and starts polishing his knife with his shirt.

The crowd of mentors and stylists are now oohing and aahing over the fact that Katniss made a choice to put herself in danger of dying on this very day.

"Well enough," says Cato with an evil grin. "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste," says Katniss. Everybody else in the room is laughing at her attempt at a joke. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

I groan at her. I have no idea what she's doing, so I just sit there, hoping she actually knows what she's doing.

"Oh dear, don't do anything stupid, Katniss," murmurs Portia.

"Think I will," says Cato with a menacing tone.

"Here, take this, Cato," says Glimmer as she hands the bow and sheath of arrows to Cato.

Katniss' eyes widen at the sight of the bow and arrows and a look of determination crosses her face. Her eyes show rage but she keeps her calm.

"No," says Cato as he pushes her away. "I'll do better with my sword."

"Katniss is already signing her death wish," groans Portia.

I sigh and say, "I think she knows what she's doing. She better."

Katniss waits until Cato starts climbing until she ascends higher up into the tree. When she's about another 10 metres up in the air, the branch that is supporting Cato's weight breaks. There is a great thump as he falls onto the ground, back first. He gets up in a matter of seconds and is swearing angrily. Although he was at least 3 metres above the ground and the fall must've blown some wind out of him, he looks unfazed.

Glimmer helps Cato up, then tries scaling up the tree. She's about 5 metres above the ground when the branches start to crack and snap. She quickly jumps down before anything else happens to her. She quickly snatches the bow of the ground and shoots before even taking aim. She's clearly inexperienced because the arrow lodges in the tree next to Katniss.

Katniss grins and goes to retrieve it. She waves it triumphantly as Glimmer fumes with clenched fists. It looks like whatever plan Katniss has is going on pretty well.

"That bitch! Wait until I get my hands on her!" growls Cato.

"I'm going to make sure she dies a slow, painful death, and she better not have any of those stupid tricks of hers up her sleeve," says Glimmer with a flick of her hair. Katniss is just observing them with an amused smile on her face.

On the other screen, I see a red dot stopping a few metres away from Katniss and the Careers. Whoever it is must've already witnessed whatever is happening.

Cato and Glimmer are trying to think ways to get to Katniss, when Peeta runs his hands through his hair and growls.

"Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning," says Peeta harshly.

"He's giving time for Katniss to escape or something," says Portia with a defeated sigh. "That boy is so selfless, he makes everybody look mean."

I can't help but agree with her. Peeta is the most caring and selfless person I've ever met. You can't deny that.

Katniss is getting herself settled for the night. Her burns are looking worse and am about to make my way to Haymitch when I see a little figure rustling in the trees opposite Katniss.

I squint and lean forward a bit more to maybe get a hint to see whom it is. It must be a small person, because that person is perched on a branch equivalent to the height of Katniss' branch. She also must be pretty skillful at climbing trees to be able to climb up there too.

"I think it's little Rue," Portia says softly.

And Portia's right. Little Rue looks even skinner than before but her eyes still have that little twinkle. Rue notices Katniss and seems to look around her surroundings. Then something catches her eye. Her eyes are focused on something above Katniss. The camera follows her view and sees that a good 10 metres in the branches above Katniss, is a nest. Not just any other nest; a tracker- jacker nest.

Tracker- jackers are another muttation that the Capitol had created. Tracker- jackers stings create lumps that swell up to the size of a plum. Their venom could kill you, but if you do live, the hallucinations they bring have driven people mad.

"Katniss, look up!" says Portia nervously.

"Rue will warn her about it," I say confidently.

Just as twilight is making its appearance, Katniss notices Rue staring at her and gets up. Without rustling a leaf or making any sounds, Rue's little hands point upwards, gesturing to the tracker- jacker nests. Katniss stares at it for a moment, trying to figure out what it is, then finally gets it. But just as she looks at Rue for confirmation, Rue lies down on her branch and settles in to sleep. All she has are a pair of socks, and she uses that to keep her hands warm at night.

I decide to tell Haymitch to get her medicine so I get up and just as I do, Portia grabs my hand.

"You're telling Haymitch to get medicine for Katniss, right?" asks Portia. She knows me so well.

"Yeah; he'll probably forget later and Katniss is really going to need it for her calf," I say.

Portia nods and says, "Okay, I'll get food while you go talk to him."

Ever since the Games started, Portia and I have only been eating 2 small meals a day, due to the fact that we're practically glued to the screen, worried that we'll miss anything.

I walk over to Haymitch and see that he's talking in hushed voices with Effie.

"I don't know, Effie…"

"Haymitch, Katniss needs the medicine and you know that. We'll still have a lot of money left even after we buy the medicine. Besides, the District 12 people have been pitching in a lot…"

Haymitch turns and sees me. He sighs and says: "You're coming to tell me to send medicine to Katniss, aren't you?"

I chuckle and say, "Yes. She going to need it because it'd be a huge disadvantage for her later on anyway. And what was that you were talking about, the thing about District 12 pitching in?"

"Oh, one of the ladies in District 12 that Katniss is close to, a woman called Greasy Sae, has created a little fund that everybody in Twelve has been pitching in to sponsor both Katniss and Peeta," answers Haymitch. "It's not much, but it could easily be the difference between her life and death."

"Well, I'm going to sort out some things so I can send the parachute to Katniss just after the anthem or something," says Effie as she walks off.

"I better go along with her," says Haymitch as he walks away.

I walk back to the couch and see that Portia has got 2 plates of the chicken with orange sauce.

By the time I take my seat, the anthem has started and Katniss is high up on the tree, underneath the branch that holds the tracker- jacker nest. There are no faces in the sky tonight, which means that none of the tributes have died. The blaring anthem covers the sound of Katniss sawing the branch. She's doing it at a reasonable pace and has gotten into the rhythm of it. But before she could finish sawing it, the anthem is over and Katniss has no choice but to finish it tomorrow.

"Done."

I turn to see Haymitch with a smile on his face and Effie clapping her hands in delight.

"We just sent the parachute out to her. It should be delivered soon," squeals Effie.

Just then, the parachute floats across the air onto her sleeping bag. When Katniss comes back down, she smiles and holds the pot in her hand. She opens it and dips her fingers in the medicine.

Her face instantly relaxes and she smiles. "Oh, Haymitch, thank you," whispers Katniss.

Haymitch smirks but smiles broadly anyway. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Effie laughs and punches Haymitch on the shoulder lightly.

We're in good moods when we settle in to sleep. I have a feeling that until Katniss or Peeta comes home, we'll be sleeping in this sitting room.

**Hope you liked it! Just so you know, reviews are like food and water for authors. It's really heart- warming to read all your positive comments! Also, exams are coming up, but I promise, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! (: But whether you love it or hate it, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEWWWWW :D**


	13. Chapter 12: Tracker Jackers

**HELLO AGAIN! We're halfway through the Games now! Can you believe it? **

**This has nothing to do with my story, but I feel like I had to share this: HUNGER GAMES IS FINALLY COMING OUT IN BEIJING IN JUNE! So no, I have not watched the movie. Yes I have the movie on my laptop, but I'm being patient; I want to watch it in the cinema with the movie in GOOD quality. Sigh. Anyway. Back to the story.**

_**(irmaida: Oh, Vilnius is the head stylist for District 1 but goes to live in District 2. Sorry for the confusion!)**_

**Hope you enjoy this chapter ;)**

Before even the break of dawn, Katniss is up and so is the District 12 team. Haymitch, Effie, Portia and I woke up earlier to make sure we don't miss anything out. She calls out for Rue, because it'd only be fair if she returned a favour to her when Rue warned Katniss about the tracker- jacker nest.

Rue awakes and points up to the nest again. Katniss makes a sawing motion to gesture that she's going to cut the branch. Rue nods and leaves by jumping from tree to tree. She must've had lots of practice in District 11 because she looks extremely skillful as she leaps from one branch to another. I can only watch with amazement.

As the cameras show the tribute from 5, Amber and Chad from 10, we see that nothing much is happening to them and they're keeping a relatively low profile and hiding in the forest.

The sun is about to make an appearance when Katniss is climbing swiftly up the tree to the tracker- jacker nest. A tracker- jacker is already buzzing out and about and Katniss looks a bit nervous, but she clenches her knife and starts sawing.

"Isn't she going to at least warn Peeta?" asks Portia anxiously.

The Careers are still fast asleep. Glimmer was supposed to be keeping watch, but fatigue overcame her and is also sleeping. Peeta is sleeping right at the roots of Katniss' tree, almost as if he would even try to protect her when he's sleeping.

Haymitch shakes his head as he answers, "She probably thinks that he betrayed her or something."

Portia sighs and I give her hands a reassuring squeeze. She squeezes back and smiles, but the worry in her eyes is evident.

A tracker- jacker comes out of the nest and sees Katniss. It stings her on the knee and I suck in a breath. She winces but carries on sawing. As soon as the knife cuts through the branch, she throws it as far away from her as possible, but towards the Careers down below. She receives another sting on her cheek and neck, but has those are the only tracker- jackers that find Katniss. She's holding onto the tree bark for dear life with one arm and uses her other hand to take out the stingers.

The nest goes tumbling down to the ground right next to Glimmer. The nest bursts with raging tracker- jackers and they swamp out of their nest. Peeta's eyes snap open to the sounds of the irate buzzing and has the sense to get up, grab his knife and run as fast as he can, away from the nest, to the lake. Cato wakes up too and yells, "To the lake! To the lake!"

Peeta and Cato are running like mad to the lake with hundreds of tracker- jackers at their tail, but Glimmer has just woken up to fuming tracker- jackers stinging her all over her body. She's shrieking and flailing her arms that are woven tightly around the bow, trying to bat away the tracker- jackers, but by doing that she's only making them madder.

'HELP!" screams Glimmer. "HELP! CATO, PEETA, SOMEBODY, HELP!"

She falls on the ground and is twitching hysterically for a few minutes, barely visible underneath the swarm of tracker- jackers flocking her body, then lies unmoving. The tracker- jackers fly off the other way, leaving Glimmer to die a gradual and painful death. The slow rise and fall of her chest indicates that she's still alive, but judging by the number of stings she got, she won't be alive for much longer.

Katniss manages to limp to her pool and submerges herself in the shallow water. She stays there for a while, closing her eyes and trying to recover from the stings.

"Get up and go get the bow and arrows!" roars Haymitch.

At the sight of Glimmer's disintegrated flesh, Portia takes cover in my arms and Effie takes out her handkerchief to cover her eyes. She used to be beautiful, but now, she just looks like a slob of meat that has been slaughtered and left to die. She's lying on top of the bow and arrows.

At the lake, Peeta and Cato are both in the water and both have received one or two stings from the tracker- jackers. Peeta has one under his left ear and he managed to pull the stinger out too. Cato is badly stung under his right eye, which causes it to swell shut. He also received one on his left shoulder.

When Peeta splashes water over his stings and is certain the tracker- jackers are gone, he gets out of the water, picks up his knife from the ground and sprints back into the forest.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? COME BACK HERE, NOW!" bellows Cato.

Peeta just keeps running and running, not even looking back.

"I'M COMING TO GET YOU NOW, LOVER BOY! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" yells Cato angrily as he charges out of the water to chase Peeta.

Portia is shaking next to me and I hold her close to me and hold her in my arms.

When we go back to Katniss and Peeta, we see Katniss grimacing as she digs her hand under Glimmer's ribcage and yank the sheath of arrows out of her shoulder blades. She's hyperventilating and probably feeling unsteady after getting 3 stings from tracker- jackers and having to do these nauseating things.

By the time Katniss retrieves her bow and arrows, Peeta and Cato are only a good 20 metres away from her. Peeta's face has on a look of fear and determination and is sprinting towards Katniss with his knife in hand. A few metres behind him is Cato, looking outraged and ready to snap anybody's neck. Katniss hears their thundering footsteps too and raises her bow to shoot. But she's so light- headed that she starts swaying around and drops her bow.

Then Peeta comes crashing through the trees with his spear lifted up, ready to kill whoever is in the way. When he sees it's Katniss, he lowers his knife and runs right up to her and hisses, "What are you still doing here? Are you mad?" He's prodding her with the wooden side of his knife. "Get up! Get up!" There's a tone of urgency in his voice and Katniss seems to sense it too. "RUN! RUN!" screams Peeta as Katniss gets up woozily.

Katniss has just started running when Cato makes his way to Peeta while slashing through the branches and snarling at him.

"YOU LET HER GO? YOU LET HER GO, WHEN YOU COULD'VE KILLED HER? WHEN YOU COULD'VE GIVEN HER A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH?" shrieks Cato hysterically.

Peeta doesn't say anything but clenches onto his knife so tightly until his knuckles are a ghostly white. He's trying to put a brave face, but his eyes are filled with terror and panic.

"Oh, so you want to play the silent game with me? Then I'll have fun silencing you once and for all!" screeches Cato as he lunges at Peeta.

Peeta braces for the hit and just when Cato is about to cut him with his sword, he dodges underneath Cato and gashes his abdomen. Cato howls in pain and clutches his stomach, but recovers quickly and raises his sword again.

This time, Peeta is not too quick to react and Cato's sword plunges into Peeta's upper thigh. Peeta cries in pain and tears are forming around his eyes. Before Cato can do him anymore harm, Peeta trudges as fast as his bloody legs can bring him and Cato is

holding his stomach and moaning in pain. He turns around and limps back to the lake.

Portia is sobbing in my chest and I'm rubbing her back tenderly and whispering, "He'll be okay, he'll be okay, shhh…" After a few minutes, her sobbing subsides and hugging me tightly, but she's still crying silent tears and trembling. I look for an Avox and mouth the words, "tissues", and they are brought to me. I nod my head in thanks and gently wipe the river of tears that are flowing down her face. We're looking each other in the eyes and I lean down to kiss her nose. She smiles sadly as she lays her head down on my lap. I place my hands on her stomach and she takes my hand and our fingers intertwine. I caress her cheek affectionately until her eyes flutter close.

Haymitch clears his throat and I look at him. "I'm just going to, um… Go check out some sponsors. In case you haven't noticed, Katniss has knocked out about 100 metres away from a stream. Judging by how many stings she received and the amount of venom in the stings, she might not wake up until maybe 2 days after."

I nod as he goes out of the sitting room, leaving me with Effie and a half asleep Portia.

Effie looks at me and asks, "She'll be alright, won't she?"

"She'll be fine; she's just a bit shaken up after seeing Peeta get hurt," I answer.

"She's really lucky to have a man like you care for her," says Effie thoughtfully.

"I'm sure that someday you'll make someone as happy as Portia makes me and sees what you're worth," I say to her with a soft smile.

Tears glisten in her eyes but she blinks them away. "Thanks, Cinna. Glad someone still believes I will find my knight in shining armour," Effie says with a chuckle.

Effie leaves me with Portia, who has drifted off into sleep already. I decide to leave her like this. I'm stroking her hair when I hear a snigger.

I look up and see Arviragus. He grins mockingly as he says, "Getting cozy with your stylist now, I see. Better hang on to this one because Lover Boy is going to die soon."

I don't know why he likes picking a fight with me when I haven't done anything to him before. I know he wants me to fight back or answer with a mean comeback, so I give him a cheerful smile as I say, "Nice to see you too, Arviragus."

Arviragus scowls as he says, "You won't be smiling after Cato and Clove take down your filthy brats. And I can assure you that your tributes won't have a chance against them."

I laugh, trying my hardest to imagine a person more arrogant than Arviragus because he must know that Katniss and Peeta stand an equal chance of winning this too.

My cheerfulness seem to really tick him off as he scowls again and struts off, muttering profanity under his breath.

I continue stroking Portia's hair while watching Peeta drags himself to a stream. He plops himself down on the ground and he's holding his thigh. It's a miracle he managed to walk so far without breaking down from the pain. Cato's sword had plunged so deep into his thigh, that you could almost see his bone. He slouches against a rock, leaving bloody traces. He's crying silent tears and I'm praying that Haymitch will be able to send him medicine for his leg. He looks around and without moving too much, he gathers some leaves and mud and camouflages himself. I watch him with great interest. He has the hands of a painter. The mud acts as his paints and after a few minutes of covering himself, he lies down and is completely hidden amongst the forest floor. The only thing you can see are Peeta's blue eyes. Overcome by weariness, his blue orbs flicker close and there is nothing left to make Peeta visible.

For the next few hours, I just sit there, watching the other tributes. Little Rue is perched on a high branch, whistling a four- note tune to the mockingjays. Her voice so sweet and clear, even the mockingjays seem to like it. They answer by singing back to her. How could anyone let a sweet, endearing girl like Rue die?

Clove is tending to an unconscious Cato, tending to his stings with some ointment they received from sponsors. Marvel is sitting at a corner with his face blank; probably mourning over Glimmer's death. Eros fiddles with another mine, occasionally casting a careful glance at Cato. When they go out at night to hunt, Amber goes to their supply spot and does that weird jig again, gets just enough food for her to have enough to eat, but not too much so the Careers to notice. Chad is resting dangerously close to the Career's camp and they would be able to notice him easily enough if they turn his way. But the look on his face already tells me that he has given up trying.

I've completely forgotten about Thresh until the cameras focus on the fields. Thresh seems to be content enough in the field, left alone and in no harm and fully nourished by eating the various grains around him. If anything, he looks healthier than when he first came. No tributes have come in search for him, so he's probably the in the safest environment compared to the others.

The hours go by and just when I feel myself drifting off into sleep, Portia stirs and starts muttering: "Run, Peeta… Run… Run…" I gently shake her, hoping that she'll wake up, but beads of sweat start forming around her forehead so I shake her again and whisper even louder, "Portia. Wake up."

Her eyes snap open and her breath are short and rushed as if she just completed a 5 mile run. I wipe away her sweat with tissue and whisper reassuring words to her. I feel her nervous heartbeat and rub circles on her palm, trying my best to soothe her.

"Deep breaths in and out, Portia," I say softly to her.

She inhales and exhales deeply and finally calms down. She gets up from my lap and sits next to me with her head on my shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask softly.

Portia bites her lip, then hesitates.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I say quickly.

Portia shakes her head then says, "No it's okay. It'll feel better if I talk about it anyway."

I take her hands in mine as I wait patiently for her to carry on.

"It was at the bit when Cato was chasing Peeta after they got out of the lake. Peeta was running and Cato was getting closer, and closer, then I started screaming for him to run, but he got slower while Cato got faster. Then Cato raised his sword and sliced Peeta's back and Peeta gave such a painful cry that seemed so real, I don't know if I imagined it or not. The blood from his wound started flowing down his back and he fell on the ground and didn't move at all. He was dead, Cinna," she says with a shudder. "Then Cato saw me and started charging towards me with his sword lifted. Then you woke me up."

"I guess I understand what you mean," I say.

I kind of do. The nightmares that I get always involve my parents, about how they are flogged, captured or tortured by Peacekeepers. Most of what I dream isn't real, but sometimes, they seem so tangible and unnerving I sometimes question if it really happened.

She looks at me and asks, "Really?"

I nod and say, "I get a lot of nightmares about my parents. They only get worse during the Games."

We sit in the comfortable silence, just holding each other's hands. We stay there for another hour, then I decide to go get my sketchbook.

Portia hugs my arm as we walk back up to our rooms to collect them and then go back down. We go back to the Control Room and decide to eat something there. Haymitch is sitting on the couch, holding a glass of wine in one hand and his remote with the other. Effie is nowhere to be seen.

"It's going to be a very uneventful day, you know?" says Haymitch.

"Yeah, that's why Cinna and I decided to get our sketchbooks," says Portia as she plops down on the couch, next to Haymitch. "Where's Effie?"

Haymitch shrugs and gulps down his wine. "Don't know. Probably went to 'socialize' with Seneca or something. Well, I'm going back to my room to get a nap."

I laugh and sit down on the floor and open my sketchbook. Haymitch leaves as I flip through the pages until I get to a blank page and close my eyes and ponder about what to draw.

Ideas normally come when I close my eyes, and the first thing that comes to mind is normally what I draw. It could be a colour, an object, a person or even an animal. Today, the first image that pops into my head is an image of Portia.

I start sketching the outline of her heart- shaped face and her wavy burnt sienna hair that tumbles down slightly below her shoulders. Her eyes are my favourite feature of her; those deep and alluring hazel eyes never fail to beguile me and they always, always tell the truth. You can lie with your lips, but you can't lie through your eyes. Her nose is the perfect size and proportion and fits perfectly with her face. Her lips are plump and are decorated with small dimples. When she smiles, it's one of the most beautiful things the human eye can see. And when she does smile, you can't help but smile back, because it just has that effect on you.

When I'm done sketching, I use the coloured pencils to shade in the rich browns of her hair and eyes, the soft pale colour of her skin, the rosiness of her cheeks and her soft scarlet lips that send that tingling down my spine when brought to mine.

Just as I add the finishing touches to her hair, Portia leans down and smiles at what I've drawn.

"You make me look like a goddess," says Portia jokingly.

"Well, you're the closest a human can get to perfect," I say.

Portia blushes a bit and says, "Thank you."

"What did you draw?" I ask.

She comes down from the couch and sits next to me on the floor. She shows her sketchbook to me, and I see that she has drawn Katniss in a full- length, strapless, primrose- yellow gown. She has made annotations of what fabric would be used and what colour dye to use and so on.

"Very nice," I compliment. "It gives off the impression of glowing candlelight. She'll always be the Girl on Fire, won't she?"

Portia smiles at me and that smile is enough to make my insides go funny. She puts her sketchbook down and I put my hands on her waist and bring her closer to me. She places her hands on my neck and pulls my face to hers, closing the gap between our faces until our noses are touching. Our eyes close at the same time and our lips brush each other gently, sending a bolt of electricity through my whole body. I lean down even more, deepening the kiss while Portia runs her hands through my hair. I rub my hands up and down her back and that elicits a moan from her. I smile into the kiss and cup her cheeks in my hands. She rests her hands on my chest and we stay like this for a while. I can't think about anything else but how perfect it feels to have her lips on mine.

_Creaaakkk…_

Portia and I quickly break apart and we're both blushing furiously.

"My instincts told me both of you would still be here."

**Hehe, hope you liked the ending :D Also, if you have any time in your hands, I highly suggest you read a new story my friend jojo167 wrote: The True Star-Crossed Lovers. It's a Cato/ Clove story and I can guarantee that it's a good read!**

**I really thank you guys for the reviews; they are really encouraging! I'm open to any criticism and compliments (: Don't forget to review, favourite and alert! Thanks, and stay tuned for the next chapter :D**


	14. Chapter 13: Silent Tears

**Wow, I think by now you forgot that this story still exists… I'm am SO sorry taking such a long time to update… It's been a hectic week with revision for exams but I FINALLY found some time today to write. Hope you aren't too annoyed with me :P This chapter continues off the last chapter when Haymitch catches Cinna and Portia in their little moment :D It's still during the time Katniss and Peeta are knocked out after the tracker- jacker incident, so they won't be mentioned a lot. Enough of my jabbering; hope you enjoy!**

"_My instincts told me both of you would still be here."_

Portia fiddles with her sketchbook and I just chuckle. Haymitch caught us at the perfect moment, didn't he?

Haymitch shifts uncomfortably and leans at the doorframe. "Well, I just came to tell you guys that there's talk of how numerous Capitol citizens sending requests to Seneca Crane about somehow getting a rule change so Katniss and Peeta can both come home."

I'm taken aback by what Haymitch just told me. A rule change?

"You know that it would just cause a lot of trouble and anger for Snow and Seneca, right? We'd have a rebellion in our hands," I say jokingly, knowing that if I didn't add that joking tone and if someone is listening to us right now, I'd probably be dead in the next 24 hours.

Haymitch shrugs. "Well, of course it's just been brought up and it's only been about 6 hours since they knocked out. But with the right amount of people and the right words of persuasion, who knows what could happen?"

"They're really soaking up this star- crossed lovers thing, aren't they?" says Portia.

"Well, I know it's really brave for somebody to risk their life for someone they love, especially in the arena. Sure, tributes in the past have killed other people to save their allies, but Peeta did this out of love. I don't think anybody could really say that they killed someone to protect the one they loved," I point out. "And although most Capitol citizens may seem like heartless monsters, they do have some passion and sympathy when it comes to things like love."

"Yeah, but if they did care about love, there wouldn't be such thing as Hunger Games," says Portia.

"True, but I guess love seems even more important when it comes to situations where it involves death," I say.

Portia shrugs and looks to Haymitch.

"They're still heartless monsters to me. Honestly, loving someone in a world like this isn't worth it. They're just going to be taken away, one way or the other."

I can't disagree more; I heard that Haymitch lost his family and girlfriend after he got back from the Games. Apparently, he had disagreed with Snow when he wanted Haymitch to become a sex slave for the Capitol women, which angered Snow, causing the deaths of his loved ones.

We stay silent, not saying anything, in fear of hurting anybody if we say the wrong thing. Haymitch's words hang in the air, creating a dejecting atmosphere; the tension in the room almost tangible. The beeping from Haymitch's remote is the thing that breaks the silence.

"I'll take it that Katniss and Peeta earning a lot of sponsors?" I ask.

"They get a couple every other hour. Maybe we'll even have enough to get the medicine for Peeta's leg; who knows?" says Haymitch. "Catch you later." The beeping of his remote fades away as he goes down the corridor.

-xxx-

"No, Haymitch, send the medicine!"

"What's the point? He's not going to wake up! He'll be knocked out for at least a few more hours and if some tribute finds him, they're going to kill him and take the medicine anyway. So no, Effie, I'm not sending the medicine, unless he wakes up and his leg falls off."

Effie harrumphs and stomps off. Haymitch rolls his eyes and takes a swig of his wine bottle while sitting down on the couch. It's like day 4 all over again; Haymitch and Effie are arguing about sending medicine. Except this time it's not about sending medicine to Katniss.

Although Peeta's leg is camouflaged underneath his muddy clothes, his injury looked bad enough that he even if he does wake up, he might not be able to walk at all. I remember yesterday's events quite clearly: Katniss cutting the tracker- jacker nests, Glimmer dying, Cato chasing Peeta, Peeta finding Katniss with the bow and telling her to run away and Cato cutting Peeta's leg, leaving a gash that almost revealed his bone.

Portia and I fell asleep in each other's arms while listening to Claudius Templesmith commentating on the Games last night.

"_Well, well, well, hasn't it been an eventful 6 days in the arena? We're down to our final 9; only one more to go before we enter our final eight! What do you think will happen to our District 12 star- crossed lovers? Will Peeta survive the fatal wound he received from the District 1 ferocious tribute, Cato? Here with us today, is one of our finest doctors from the Capitol, Herzon Grinkel!"_

_His magenta dyed eyes clash with his whiskers and spiky green hair. He takes a seat next to Claudius and flashes a smile, showing his unnaturally- sharp teeth. _

_They make small talk about the chances of other tributes surviving and how well they are doing so far, but they finally talk about Peeta._

"_What do you think will happen to Peeta, Doctor Grinkel?" asks Claudius Templesmith._

"_The chances of him walking out of the arena with 2 perfect legs are almost zero. He needs medication and surgery urgently; if not, he might just lose his leg," replies Doctor Grinkel with a shake of his head, as if the possibility of Peeta losing his leg really is that tragic to _him_._

"_That's a pity. Would the medicine he needs be affordable at this stage of the competition?"_

"_It's definitely affordable, but he'd need a lot of sponsors to actually get the medicine sent to him."_

"_What about Katniss Everdeen, his fellow tribute and lover? How will she do? Does she need medicine?" asks Claudius Templesmith._

_Doctor Grinkel shakes his head and answers, "No, she should be able to find the leaves that would be able to heal her tracker- jacker stings and she pulled out the stingers, so she should be alright either way."_

"_How long do you think Katniss, Peeta and Cato would be knocked out for?"_

"_Two days; one if their lucky, but judging by the number of stings they received and the fact that they don't have the medicine, they'd be out for about two days. And the fact that they don't have medicine would also slow down the healing process."_

"_Thank you for your time, Doctor Grinkel. It has been a pleasure talking to you!"_

"_The pleasure is mine," says Doctor Grinkel with a toothy smile._

"_Don't forget to sponsor your favourite tribute! Who will be eliminated from the final 9; will it one of the District 12 star- crossed lovers? The tough tributes from 1 and 2, or would you root for the ones from 5, 10 and 11, who are all keeping a low profile? Help your tribute win, and may the odds be _ever_ in their favour!"_

"Hey," says Portia, snapping me out of my thoughts. Haymitch's remote beeps again, so he leaves to go settle a sponsor. Portia turns the television on, and we see that the Careers are sitting by their supply pile, with Clove sitting next to an unconscious Cato. Marvel is chucking spears at nearby trees while Eros just sits there, pulling up blades of grass. Clove looks around her area, inspecting her surroundings. Her eyes light up and she nudges Marvel.

"Hey Marvel," says Clove. "There's one over there."

She uses her knife to point at the nearby trees. Marvel bends over and squints and an evil grin spreads across his face when he spots the District 10 tributes, Chad.

Chad is sitting at the roots of a tree with a hollow look in his eyes. It's almost like he wants to be found. His arms have several cuts and half of his face is covered in dirt. His tousled brown hair has some bald patches and look slightly burned. He doesn't even blink or move a muscle when Clove and Marvel are running towards him.

Clove sits next to him and Marvel on the other side. Clove is waving her hands around his eyes, as if trying to get his attention. When he doesn't react to that, Marvel knocks his head back against the tree bark, making his head bleed. But Chad doesn't even wince, or cry. He just stares straight ahead, as if in a trance.

Clove sighs angrily and says, "This one's boring. You want to take your time, or make it quick?"

Marvel shrugs and says, "There'll be no point if he doesn't feel the pain, so let's just make it quick."

Marvel takes his aim and thrusts his spear roughly through Chad's right ribcage until it comes out of his left ribcage. The blood spills out off the cut as Marvel hauls the spear out of him. Chad doesn't scream, or hold his cut. He just sits there, with a silent tear trailing down his face. But his face doesn't change. He just cries those silent tears. Then finally, he slumps down onto the ground, unmoving. The canon booms. He's dead.

"Well, that was easy," says Clove neutrally. "Let's move before the hovercraft comes."

When I turn to see Portia, I see Portia's face blank. I shake her gently and whisper, "Portia?"

She sits still for a while. "What do you think he was thinking about in those last seconds of his life?" asks Portia softly, finally turning to look at me.

I look her right in the eyes. "His family. His brother, his sister, his parents. His girlfriend. District 10. Anybody. Anything. Anybody who he loved and cared about. Anybody who loved him and cared for him."

"There's another family out there, mourning for the child they just lost to this cruel world. It just feels so, so bad. I feel like, maybe there was something I could've done to prevent all this from happening. To prevent Chad from dying. To prevent the District 4 girl from dying. To prevent the Hunger Games from happening. Anything, Cinna. I always feel like I could've done _something_ to help."

I hold her head on my chest and stroke her back. "That's why we're in the rebellion, Portia. To stop all this. So that one day, families wouldn't have to worry about their child getting reaped or killed in the Hunger Games," I say softly.

Portia sits up and I take her face in my hands.

"My life would not be completed if I die before the Hunger Games end and until Snow dies, I will not stop fighting. I will die fighting to end this, Portia. I will," I say firmly, not caring about the fact that video cameras could have recorded that.

Portia nods and smiles as she says, "And you'll have me, right by your side."

**Well, what did you think? :D Exams are over next Friday, so I promise I'll be updating MUCH more regularly after that. But for now, please bear with me.**

**I just want to say, I really, really, really appreciate the reviews, story alerts, favourite stories and favourite author alerts you guys have given me. I treasure every one I get; I really do! So I just wanted to thank you guys. REVIEW, FAVOURITE AND ALERT PLEASE! (:**


	15. Chapter 14: Allies

**HEY GUYS! I'm actually supposed to be revising, but I'd much rather update my story :P ANYWAY. Hope you enjoy!**

"She's awake! She's alive!"

Effie cheers and hugs Portia while jumping up and down. I laugh as I pat Haymitch on the back. Even Haymitch wears a triumphant smile on his face today.

Katniss has finally woken up from 2 days of deep sleep. I think her body needed time to recover and besides, she needed the rest. Even though she's awake, it takes a long time to actually get up and moving.

Although we can stop worrying about Katniss, there's still Peeta, lying by the stream, unconscious and half- dead. His face is ghostly pale and every now and then, he would fidget in his sleep, whispering Katniss' name. There would also be the occasional yelling of telling someone to run away. Katniss haunts his dreams, and I have a feeling, that his nightmares are of losing her.

Portia wraps me in a tight hug and smiles. I smile back half- heartedly, still thinking about how Peeta would survive these next few days without medicine or help from anybody.

Portia sees the doubt and concern in my eyes and says, "Let's just be happy for now, okay?" She gives me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "By the way, our prep teams have asked us to join them for dinner today. They said something about wanting to find out Katniss' Victor interview dress with Caesar when she comes back. But they also want to catch up with us," says Portia with a grin.

I smile and say, "I think it will be nice to have dinner with them; it has been a while since we had a nice, long talk with our prep teams. I wonder what hair colour Saunders has now!"

We both laugh as we turn back to watch the screen. Katniss has gotten back up and walks slowly through the forest in search for water. The Careers are back at their camp, feasting on some dried beef strips. Cato is also up and munching on a beef strips. His stings are still there, but due to the medicine his sponsors sent, they should be healing soon. Marvel seems to have recovered from Glimmer's death and has his evil look back on his face. Cato seems to have a neutral mask, but by the way his eyebrows are creased, he's raging with silent anger. I sincerely hope he doesn't stumble upon Katniss at any point of the Games after this incident.

Amber is stealthily lurking around the edge of the forest, staying far enough so they can't see her, but close enough so she can keep an eye on them. She doesn't seem to have any injuries due to the fact she hasn't been involved in any battles.

Little Rue is sleeping on a sturdy branch with a small smile on her face. What could she be dreaming of; something that will even make her smile in situations like these? But I admire her for making it this far. She's definitely not one to be overlooked.

Thresh is still in the fields, still unmoved and unharmed. The Gamemakers will soon be drawing Thresh in to the other tributes; that we can guarantee.

About an hour after her wandering, Katniss finally finds a stream. She washes her clothes and lays them on the rocks to dry while lying in the water. On the other screen, there's a red dot following Katniss' red dot. Who could it be? I could only guess it to be little Rue.

Meanwhile, Katniss eats a cracker and a beef strip and uses a handful of moss to clean the blood from her bow and arrows. She then treats her burns, braids her hair, dresses in her clothes and sets off. An hour later, Katniss finds her first kill of the day. It's a groosling, a wild, edible bird that has juicy meat and lots of fat. By late afternoon, she decides to make a fire to roast the bird and she skins the bird.

The red dot on the other screen is alarmingly close to Katniss' dot. And on the other screen, the cameras have found that little Rue is standing behind a tree a few metres away from Katniss. Little Rue is hopping around the forest floor, trying to get closer to Katniss, but accidently steps on a stray twig and it snaps. She quickly steps behind the tree, but doesn't notice the tip of her boot sticking out.

Katniss seems to realize that it's only little Rue, so she smiles and says, "You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances."

Rue seems to be considering it, then she peeks out from her tree and looks at Katniss and asks, "You want me for an ally?"

"Why not? You saved me from those tracker jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I can't seem to shake you anyway."

I can see what Katniss means. Rue is a replica of her little sister, Primrose. Apart from the tan skin and dark frizzy hair, they could almost be twins.

"You hungry?" asks Katniss.

Rue gulps and looks at the roasting bird.

"Come on then, I've had two kills today," says Katniss, motioning for Rue to come.

Rue steps towards Katniss and stares at her stings. "I can fix your stings."

"Can you? How?" asks Katniss eagerly.

Rue takes out some leaves from her pack and holds them out.

"Where'd you find those?" asks Katniss curiously.

"Just around. We all carry them when we work in the orchards," says Rue with a shrug. "They left a lot of nests there. There are a lot here too."

"That's right. You're District 11. Agriculture," says Katniss. "Orchards, huh? That must be how you can fly around the trees like you've got wings?"

Rue smiles shyly. I've finally seen the kind side of Katniss, and I must say, it's a huge difference from her normal, neutral self.

"Well, come on then. Fix me up."

Katniss plunks down by the fire and rolls her pants up to reveal the sting on her knee. Rue then places the leaves in her mouth and starts chewing on them and after a few seconds, presses a sticky green wad of leaves on her sting.

Effie snorts in disgust. "There has to be some other way to treat her sting! That is disgusting."

"Princess, when you're in the arena, you don't care about how you heal your wounds, you just want to get it done the easiest way possible," says Haymitch with a tone of annoyance.

"Ohhh…" says Katniss with a relaxed look on her face.

Rue giggles as she says, "Lucky you had the sense to pull out the stingers out or you'd be a lot worse."

"Do my neck! Do my neck!" begs Katniss.

Rue stuffs more leaves in her mouth and presses it against Katniss' neck and Katniss even giggles at the relief. As Rue pulls her sleeve up, it reveals a long burn on her forearm.

"I've got something for that," says Katniss as she takes the silver parachute out of her pack.

She takes the lid off and gently smears the medicine on Rue's burn.

"You've got good sponsors," says Rue longingly.

"Have you gotten anything yet?" asks Katniss. Rue shakes her head. "You will though. Watch. The closer we get to the end, the more people will realize how clever you are."

Katniss smiles at Rue and turns the meat over.

"You weren't joking, about wanting me for an ally?" asks Rue.

"No, I meant it."

Haymitch groans just as Katniss says that.

Portia raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why the groan? I think it's good that they allied."

"Well, Rue could slow Katniss down when it comes to battle time, because Katniss would only try to protect her. And let's face it, one of the reasons why Katniss allied with her was because Rue reminded her of her sister."

"Okay," says Rue while holding out her hand. "It's a deal."

Rue takes out a big handful of some sort of starchy root to the meal. She recognizes the bird, too, and tells Katniss it's some wild thing they call a groosling in her district. She talks about how sometimes a flock will wander into the orchards and they get a decent lunch that day.

Haymitch grunts, "Snow won't be too happy about this."

Effie scrunches up her manicured eyebrows and asks, "Why ever not? They're just having a conversation about the orchards."

"Exactly. Snow doesn't like other people finding out about the life in other districts. He likes to keep things unknown, so it doesn't start a rebellion," says Haymitch.

"Oh," says Rue with a sigh. "I've never had a whole leg to myself before."

Effie gasps at Rue's comment. "Never had a whole leg to herself?"

Haymitch rolls his eyes in irritation. "Never knew you were that oblivious, Princess."

"Take the other," I say.

"Really?" Rue asks with wide eyes.

"Take whatever you want. Now that I've got a bow and arrows, I can get more. Plus I've got snares. I can show you how to set them," says Katniss. Rue still looks uncertainly at the leg. "Oh, take it," Katniss says, putting the drumstick in her hands. "It will only keep a few days anyway, and we've got the whole bird plus the rabbit." Once she's got hold of it, her appetite wins out and she takes a huge mouthful.

"I'd have thought, in District Eleven, you'd have a bit more to eat than us. You know, since you grow the food," Katniss says with curiosity.

Rue's eyes widen. "Oh, no, we're not allowed to eat the crops."

"They arrest you or something?" asks Katniss.

"They whip you and make everyone else watch," says Rue. "The mayor's very strict about it."

That's something we all don't know about. Like Haymitch says, Snow likes to keep the Districts uninformed about each other, to keep them in the dark so that there wouldn't be any rebellions, because if the one District found out that another District was being treated better than they were, they would be furious and rebel, which is exactly what Snow doesn't want.

"Do you get all the coal you want?" Rue asks.

"No," Katniss answers. "Just what we buy and whatever we track in on our boots."

"They feed us a bit extra during harvest, so that people can keep going longer," says Rue.

"Don't you have to be in school?" Katniss asks.

"Not during harvest. Everyone works then," says Rue.

It's interesting, hearing about the life in the Districts. Living in the Capitol, well, you aren't very informed about life in districts either.

Rue suggests that they lay out their food to ration it out for the next few days. They have quite a bountiful supply and it should last them quite a while.

Apart from the food, Rue has a small water skin, a homemade slingshot, and an extra pair of socks. She also has a sharp shard of rock she uses as a knife. "I know it's not much," she says as if embarrassed, "but I had to get away from the Cornucopia fast."

"You did just right," I say. When I spread out my gear, she gasps a little when she sees the sunglasses.

"How did you get those?" she asks.

"In my pack. They've been useless so far. They don't block the sun and they make it harder to see," Katniss say with a shrug.

"These aren't for sun, they're for darkness," exclaims Rue. "Sometimes, when we harvest through the night, they'll pass out a few pairs to those of us highest in the trees. Where the torchlight doesn't reach. One time, this boy Martin, he tried to keep his pair. Hid it in his pants. They killed him on the spot."

"They killed a boy for taking these?" I say.

"Yes, and everyone knew he was no danger. Martin wasn't right in the head. I mean, he still acted like a three-year-old. He just wanted the glasses to play with," says Rue.

Everybody is in shock when they hear this. Even Haymitch seems taken aback from what Rue said. Peacekeepers killing children, knowing that they didn't weren't going to do any harm?

"So what do these do?" Katniss asks Rue, taking the glasses.

"They let you see in complete darkness," says Rue. "Try them tonight when the sun goes down."

Portia glances at her watch and says to me, "We should probably go meet the prep teams now. They should be waiting for us at the restaurant."

I nod and say my goodbyes to Haymitch and Effie, telling them to fill us in on the events when we come back.

When we get to the restaurant, we see a round table with Asteria, Saunders, Malvolio, Flavius, Venia and Octavia sitting around it. They're all chatting and laughing loudly and Portia has to clear her throat for them to notice us.

Octavia stands up and squeals, "You guys are finally here! We haven't seen you in _forever_!"

They're as oddly dressed as ever. All of them have now either dyed their hair a different colour or bought a new wig. Their clothes are so bright that I think it might give me a headache, but I grin at them and chuckle.

The rest stand up and we greet each other with a quick hug. When we're all seated, the waiters serve the chicken with orange sauce, the lamb stew with dried plums and a roasted pig.

"So guys, where have you been?" I ask as I cut into my lamb.

"Well, Asteria, Venia and I have been watching the Games in Venia's place and getting our manicures and pedicures," says Octavia.

"Very nice," says Portia with a broad smile. "May I take a look?"

The women are almost shoving their hands in Portia's face and telling her about how they wanted the bright magenta colour but thought it clashed with their skin colour. I chuckle at them and turn to Flavius, Saunders and Malvolio.

"What about you guys?" I ask them.

"Flavius, Saunders and I went window shopping in the new cosmetics street, and you know what we saw? We saw flaxen coloured mascara! _Flaxen mascara_, Cinna. And then the first thing I thought of was, 'Wouldn't Cinna look fabulous with this mascara?' but then I tried it on and I'm sorry to say I haven't been able to part with it," says Malvolio, showing me the flaxen mascara.

"Well, I saw a suit just like Caesar Flickerman's, except instead of the light bulbs on his suit, it was moustaches! Moustaches that light up on your suit, Cinna! So I had to buy it. I'll be wearing it to Katniss' Victory Tour soon. It will look absolutely stunning under the lights," gushes Flavius.

I have to admire the prep team; they have so much faith in Katniss coming home that they even made plans about what they were going to wear for her Victory tour.

For the rest of the meal, I just nod at the right places, laugh when they tell a joke and shake my head when they tell me something tragic, like when their wig nearly comes off when the wind blows.

When it's time for us to go back, we give each other another quick hug and promise to meet up one more time.

Portia and I get in the car, exhausted. Portia lays her head on my shoulder and sighs.

"How can they be so energetic at this time of the day?" asks Portia.

I chuckle and say, "I wouldn't be surprised; they have the stamina of a three year old that has just taken a long nap."

We both laugh and stay in a comfortable silence for the rest of the way.

Tonight, we decide to go back to our rooms to sleep. I settle her in her bed and kiss her on the cheek and go back to my room.

Although I'm feeling extremely lethargic, I don't go to sleep straightaway. I take out my sketchbook and suddenly have the urge to draw something.

I let my mind wander off and I keep my eyes on my paper, letting my instincts guide my hands. Before I know it, I have drawn a portrait of Katniss and Rue, sitting on a high branch in a tree and laughing. In the background, there is the golden Cornucopia and the thick, green forest surrounding it.

If this were any other situation, I would tear the drawing out and hang it on my wall. But what I've drawn is a scene from the Games, and it's sad to think that the friendship that Katniss and Rue has formed will soon be gone.

I turn my TV on and see little Rue cuddled in Katniss' sleeping bag. Katniss is sleeping with and arm protectively around her and Rue has a small smile on her face. They look so peaceful. For all you know, they could just be two girls, camping out and sleeping on a tree branch.

Even after I turn my lights out, the image of Katniss and Rue is still displayed in my head. Maybe it's a reminder, that even in this cruel world, there is still love and hope for everybody.

**Hope you liked it! By the way, I've started on a new story called 'Silent Screams'; it's the story of Lavinia the Avox. You can check it out on my profile. Also, my friend charchi8987 has written a story in Rue's POV: Rue's Perspective. It is amazing, so go check it out! Don't forget to review, favourite and alert and check out Silent Screams :D Thanks, and stay tuned for the next chapter (:**


	16. Chapter 15: Plans

**Hey guys! In honour of the 16****th**** chapter, I'd just like to thank EVERYBODY who have favourite and alert my story; it means A LOT to me! And a huge thank you to my reviewers: **_**primstar, Duchess of Night, Blinkandyoullmissit, SONE34, jojo167, irmaida, Starrynight77, Katrina, Hayley TT Showbiz, James018, .africa99, mrs liu, anonymous, thefanfictiongirl, L345, silvia, KJ, charchi8987**_** and **_**Dr Giggles**_**! Your support has been amazing and really motivational! On with the chapter; ENJOY (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_Even after I turn my lights out, the image of Katniss and Rue is still displayed in my head. Maybe it's a reminder, that even in this cruel world, there is still love and hope for everybody._

_-xxx-_

"I think you two should watch last night's replay," says Haymitch as he pours himself a glass of wine.

"How was the dinner with the prep teams last night?" asks Effie.

"It was good, thank you," answers Portia with a smile.

I turn on the television and continue watching from where I left off.

"Where do you sleep?" asks Katniss as she forks her sleeping bag on a study branch on the tree. "In the trees?" Rue nods. "In just your jacket?"

Rue holds up her extra pair of socks. "I have these for my hands."

"You can share my sleeping bag if you want. We'll both easily fit," says Katniss.

Rue's face lights up. I wonder if this is how Katniss treats her little sister, Primrose. They're cuddled in the sleeping bag when the anthem starts to play.

"Rue, I only woke up today. How many nights did I miss?" whispers Katniss with her hand covering her mouth. Only the District 12 cameras can hear and see what she's saying. Taking the cue from Katniss, Rue covers her mouth too.

"Two," says Rue. "The girl from District 1 is dead. There are nine of us left."

"Something strange happened. At least, I think it did. It might have been the tracker jacker venom making me imagine things," says Katniss. "You know the boy from my district? Peeta? I think he saved my life. But he was with the Careers."

"He's not with them now," Rue says. "I've spied on their base camp by the lake. They made it back before they collapsed from the stingers. But he's not there. Maybe he did save you and had to run."

Katniss doesn't answer. "If he did, it was all probably just part of his act. You know, to make people think he's in love with me."

"Oh," says Rue thoughtfully. "I didn't think that was an act."

"Course it is," says Katniss harshly, as if trying to convince herself too. "He worked it out with our mentor." From the corner of my eye, I see Haymitch wince as she says this. The anthem ends and the sky goes dark. "Let's try out these glasses." Katniss pulls out the glasses from her pack and slips them on.

"I wonder who else got a pair of these," Katniss wonders aloud.

"The Careers have two pairs. But they've got everything down by the lake," Rue says. "And they're so strong."

"We're strong, too," Katniss says. "Just in a different way."

"You are. You can shoot," Rue says. "What can I do?"

"You can feed yourself. Can they?" I ask.

"They don't need to. They have all those supplies," Rue says.

"Say they didn't. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?" Katniss asks rhetorically. "I mean, it's the Hunger Games, right?"

"But, Katniss, they're not hungry," says Rue.

"No, they're not. That's the problem," I agree. "I think we're going to have to fix that, Rue."

"She's got something up her sleeve, that girl," says Portia with a smile.

Effie chuckles and says, "Always been the one to challenge the odds, hasn't she?"

-xxx-

After Portia and I eat our breakfast, we watch the current events of the Games. Katniss has just woke up but Rue has already found two eggs and is perched on a nearby branch.

"Who's left again?" Katniss asks.

"The boy from District One. Both tributes from Two. The boy from Three. Thresh and me. And you and Peeta," says Rue. "That's eight. Wait, and the boy from Ten, the one with the bad leg. He makes nine."

"Amber, the girl from Five. They forgot her," comments Effie.

"What's in your hands?" asks Katniss.

"Breakfast," says Rue. She holds them out revealing two big eggs.

"What kind are those?"

"Not sure. There's a marshy area over that way. Some kind of waterbird," Rue says.

They don't risk a fire, but suck out the insides of the egg, eat a rabbit leg and some berries.

"Ready to do it?" asks Katniss as she pulls her pack up to her shoulders.

"Do what?" asks Rue with enthusiasm.

"Today, we take out the Career's food," says Katniss.

"Really? How?" You can see the glint of excitement in Rue's eyes.

"No idea. Come on, we'll figure out a plan while we hunt," I say.

They don't get much hunting done because Rue is spilling out everything she knows from spying on the Career's base camp at the Cornucopia.

"They have set up their camp beside the lake. Their supply stash is about thirty yards away. During the day, they've been leaving another tribute, the boy from District 3, to watch over the supplies," says Rue. Although she's only been there twice or thrice, she has been extremely observant and notices all the little details.

"The boy from District Three?" Katniss asks, dumbfounded. "He's working with them?"

"Yes, he stays at the camp full-time. He got stung, too, when they drew the tracker jackers in by the lake," says Rue. "I guess they agreed to let him live if he acted as their guard. But he's not very big."

"What weapons does he have?" asks Katniss.

"Not much that I could see. A spear. He might be able to hold a few of us off with that, but Thresh could kill him easily," says Rue.

"And the food's just out in the open?" she asks. Rue nods. "Something's not quite right about that whole setup."

"I know. But I couldn't tell what exactly," says Rue. "Katniss, even if you could get to the food, how would you get rid of it?"

"Burn it. Dump it in the lake. Soak it in fuel." Katniss pokes Rue in the belly and results in Rue squealing happily. "Eat it!" She giggles. "Don't worry, I'll think of something. Destroying things is much easier than making them."

For a while, they dig roots, gather berries and greens while talking about their plan in hushed voices. While Rue makes three fires in three different places, luring the Careers in while Katniss goes to the Cornucopia and destroys their supplies. Then they will meet at where they first ate their meal, by the stream.

After some rough planning, Katniss asks Rue about her family. Katniss also comes to know Rue, the oldest of six kids, fiercely protective of her siblings, who gives her rations to the younger ones, who forages in the meadows in a district where the Peacekeepers are far less obliging than ours. And when Katniss asks Rue what she loves most in the world, answers chirpily, "Music."

"Music?" says Katniss with disbelief clear in her voice. "You have a lot of time for that?"

"We sing at home. At work, too. That's why I love your pin," says Rue, pointing to the mockingjay that is still pinned down to her clothes.

"You have mockingjays?" asks Katniss.

"Oh, yes. I have a few that are my special friends. We can sing back and forth for hours. They carry messages for me," she says.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm usually up highest, so I'm the first to see the flag that signals quitting time. There's a special little song I do," says Rue. She opens her mouth and whistles a little four-note run in a sweet, clear voice. "And the mockingjays spread it around the orchard. That's how everyone knows to knock off," she continues. "They can be dangerous though, if you get too near their nests. But you can't blame them for that."

I unclasp the pin and hold it out to her. "Here, you take it. It has more meaning for you than me."

"Oh, no," says Rue, closing my fingers back over the pin. "I like to see it on you. That's how I decided I could trust you. Besides, I have this." She pulls a necklace woven out of some kind of grass from her shirt. On it, hangs a roughly carved wooden star. Or maybe it's a flower. "It's a good luck charm."

"Well, it's worked so far," says Katniss as she pins the mockingjay back on her shirt. "Maybe you should just stick with that."

After Katniss and Rue carry out their plans carefully, they start working on it at early afternoon. They collect wood for the two fires and when the time comes, Katniss makes sure Rue's well stocked with food and matches. She even insists Rues takes the sleeping bag.

"What about you? Won't you be cold?" Rue asks, hesitantly holding the sleeping bag in her small hands.

"Not if I pick up another bag down by the lake," Katniss says cheekily. "You know, stealing isn't illegal here," says Katniss with a grin.

At the last minute, Rue decides to teach Katniss her mockingjay signal, the one she gives to indicate the day's work is done. "It might not work. But if you hear the mockingjays singing it, you'll know I'm okay, only I can't get back right away."

"Are there many mockingjays here?" asks Katniss.

"Haven't you seen them? They've got nests everywhere," Rue answers.

"Okay, then. If all goes according to plan, I'll see you for dinner," says Katniss.

Then out of the blue, Rue jumps up and gives Katniss a tight hug. Katniss hesitates for a split second but hugs her back, embracing her tightly. The image is so sweet that I make a mental note to draw it when I get back.

"You be careful," she says to Katniss with a worried expression.

"You, too," Katniss says.

Katniss turns and heads back to the stream with a concerned expression. By the time she gets to the Cornucopia, Rue has made the first fire. The Careers arm themselves at once before an argument breaks out. They're quarrelling about whether they should bring the District 3 boy, Eros.

"He's coming. We need him in the woods, and his job's done here anyway. No one can touch those supplies," says Cato.

"What about Lover Boy?" says Marvel.

"I keep telling you, forget about him. I know where I cut him. It's a miracle he hasn't bled to death yet. At any rate, he's in no shape to raid us," says Cato with annoyance.

The camera quickly flicks back to Peeta and we see that he's still unconscious. I'm deeply worried about him. If Katniss or Rue doesn't find him in time, he will die a slow and painful death.

"Come on," says Cato. He thrusts a spear into the hands of the boy from District 3, and they head off in the direction of the fire.

The last thing Cato says is, "When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes."

I fear for Katniss' life.

Haymitch's remote is blinking wildly and he sighs as he motions for Effie to come along. His remote continues beeping and blinking while he walks down the corridor. Katniss and Peeta seem to be in popular demand right now, which is good, because they're going to need all the money they can get to get medicine for Peeta's wound.

Katniss stays in her hiding spot for a good half an hour, before there's a movement that distracts her from her thoughts.

To the far right, Amber is emerging from the trees and into the Cornucopia area. She runs for the pyramid, with quick, small steps. Before she proceeds to the pyramid, she stops, searches the ground, and carefully places her feet on a spot. Then she begins to approach the pyramid with strange little hops, sometimes landing on one foot, teetering slightly, sometimes risking a few steps. At one point, she launches up in the air, over a small barrel and lands poised on her tiptoes. But she overshoots slightly and her momentum throws her forward. She gives a sharp squeal as her hands hit the ground, but nothing happens. In a moment, she's regained her composure and continues until she has reached the bulk of the supplies.

She fills her pack and makes sure she doesn't take too much that they'll notice, but enough for her to not get hungry. After she's done, she does her odd little jig back out of the circle and scampering into the woods again, safe and sound.

It seems to take a while for Katniss to figure it out. Then finally, she whispers, "It's mined."

"She got it!" exclaims Portia. I chuckle and say, "We all knew she would."

Katniss spends a while trying to figure everything out, and then she finally thinks of a way. I don't know what she's up to when she loads an arrow in her bow. The arrow won't make a difference; it'll just get caught in the nets that are set up. By now, the smoke from Rue's second fire is wafting towards the sky and the Careers will realize that it's a trick. They will be back soon.

Katniss places her feet carefully as she takes meticulous aim. The first arrow tears through the side of the bag near the top, leaving a split in the burlap of apples. I then understand what she's up to. The second widens it to a gaping hole. You can see the first apple teetering when she lets the third arrow go, catching the torn flap of burlap and ripping it from the bag.

The apples topple out of the burlap. For a moment, nothing happens. Then they trigger the mines, setting off a huge explosion. Katniss gets blown back by the impact and a bit of debris cuts of some of her ear. But I don't think she realizes that as she lands on the ground with a thud. Apart from her ear, she seems to be unharmed. The ground seems to still be shaking from the explosion, and it seems like the apples triggered many more mines, which also triggered the others. I don't think the Careers would find anything useful from that huge pile of debris.

Katniss tries taking a few steps, but ends up on her hands and knees. A flash of panic flickers in her eyes as she touches her ear. But she quickly hides it by pulling her hood up to avoid leaving a blood trail. I honestly hope that she'll get up and move quickly because the Careers are closing in, fast. And they don't look very happy.

There are a couple of stray mines that set off after a while and Katniss winces every time she hears it. But something seems to be pushing her, motivating her to carry on.

Cato has finished the first phase of his tantrum and takes out his anger on the smoking remains by kicking open various containers and picking up shrapnel and flicking it everywhere. The other tributes are poking around in the mess, looking for anything to salvage, but there's nothing. Eros has done his job too well. This idea must occur to Cato, too, because he turns on the boy and starts yelling at him. Eros looks scared out of his wits and just when he turns to run, Cato catches him in a headlock from behind. I can see the muscles ripple in Cato's arms as he sharply jerks the boy's head to the side.

It's that quick. The death of the boy from District 3. The cannon blows.

Clove and Marvel try to calm Cato down, but he keeps on raging until Clove explains that the cannon of whoever set off the mines must've died, but they didn't hear it. Cato takes this as a reasonable excuse and cools down. The hovercraft then appears in midair, collecting Eros and then vanishing again.

Night falls and the anthem starts to play. Eros' face is projected in the sky. Another family mourning for their child. And the Career's now know that whom ever set off the mines has survived.

The Careers put on their night- vision glasses and go out hunting. Katniss stays put and cleans out her wounded ear with water.

Little Rue is perched high up on a tree, snuggled in the sleeping bag. She's running her hands over the wooden star on her grass woven necklace. She smiles as she drifts off to sleep. She looks like an angel as she sleeps.

Thresh is still concealed amongst the field and I know for a fact that the Gamemakers will soon draw him in to meet the other tributes.

Amber settles only a few metres from the Cornucopia, keeping a watchful eye on the Career's supplies.

I'm getting more worried about the fact that Peeta hasn't woken up until now. I'm hoping that Haymitch will send some medicine for his leg or that Katniss will find him before anyone else does.

Portia turns the television off and turns to me. "Eight left. It's the first time in decades that two tributes from District 12 are in the final eight. Haymitch should be proud of himself."

I chuckle lightly. "It's great. Maybe this year, both will be allowed to come home."

Portia smiles then frowns. "But I don't think I'd be able to take it if Rue died. It's so unfair. Why can't all three of them come home?"

I frown too and embrace her in a tight hug. "Let's hope for the best. The Games were never fair anyway. Let's focus on getting Katniss and Peeta home for now."

**Well, hope you liked it! Also, my friend (jojo167) and I have written a story together: **_**Cracked, Broken, But Not Defeated**_**. It's the story of Hayffie post- Mockingjay. I highly suggest you go check it out on my profile ;) Till the next chapter (:**


	17. Chapter 16: Goodbye

**First off, I'd just like to thank my readers and reviewers. I've reached 52 reviews! Thank you guys so, so much! It really means a lot to me :D Please keep reviewing if you want me to keep writing :P Hope you enjoy chapter 17 (:**

Katniss wakes up to Amber rummaging through the burned debris of what used to be the Career's supplies. She finds a knife blade and a metal pot and cackles at her findings and we're all thinking the same thing; now that Katniss has destroyed the Career's supplies, everyone has the same chance of winning the Games.

Katniss takes a route down the stream in search of Rue, constantly touching her damaged left ear.

Little Rue is hopping tree to tree, quietly whistling a tune. She looks so cheerful and carefree when she leaps from branch to branch. But close behind, are the Careers. They don't see her and she doesn't see them.

"No, Rue, no," murmurs Seeder. She's the mentor for 11 and we decided to watch today's Games today. She seems extremely nervous, so I murmur encouraging words to her while Portia rubs her back gently.

Seeder is one of the kindest women I have ever met. Don't ask me how a person like Seeder won the Hunger Games. Like many other victors, Snow killed her family after she came back as Victor. But after months of grieving and mourning, she finally moved on, got married and now has 2 beautiful children. And I think she was really close to Rue even back in District 11, so this is extremely hard on her.

"Rue will be fine," I say softly and hopefully with a reassuring tone. "She'll be okay."

When Katniss doesn't see Rue at their first campfire, she scales up a tree and relaxes there with her bow loaded and food in her mouth. If you forget that it's the Hunger Games, Katniss looks like any other girl, sitting up in a tree without a care in the world. Sadly, in reality, Katniss _isn't_ any other girl, sitting up in a tree without a care in the world.

Before she leaves the tree, she leaves some mint leaves around the campfire, which I'm guessing will tell Rue that Katniss has been here.

Rue whistles her four- note mockingjay tune and then a mockingjay replies with a cheerful tweet. The melody then passes on from one mockingjay to another until it reaches Katniss. Katniss smiles in relief and follows in the direction of the mockingjay. Katniss whistles the melody again, so she can reply to Rue. The mockingjay repeats the melody, and that's when we hear the scream.

"Katniss! Katniss!"

Marvel found Rue. Cato and Clove separated from him, telling Marvel that if Rue's nearby, Katniss will be nearby. Marvel sprints across the forest floor as Rue springs across the trees as fast as she can with a look of alarm and panic on her face.

"Rue! Rue! I'm coming!" shouts Katniss as she dashes towards the sound of Rue's voice.

Rue jumps off a branch and ends up miscalculating the distance, resulting with her falling on the ground with a thud and landing in a trap.

When Katniss breaks into the clearing, Rue has just enough time to reach her hand out of the tangled net and call Katniss' name before the spear penetrates her abdomen.

Marvel dies before he can pull the spear out.

Katniss' arrow pierced deep into his neck. If he doesn't die now, he'll die in a few minutes. At this point, cascades of tears are rushing down Seeder's cheek and Portia embraces her, letting Seeder cry into her chest. The tears are gathering at my eyelids and I have to bite my tongue to stop them from flowing.

Katniss reloads her bow and shifting from side to side, yelling, "Are there more? Are there more?"

Rue has to say no several times before Katniss hears her. Her body is curled up and around the spear and the blood is now a steady stream that spills out her body. Katniss kneels down, untangles her from the net and clutches Rue's hand tightly. Her face stays emotionless, but her eyes reflect pain and sadness and their glistening with unshed tears.

"You blew up the food?" Rue whispers, colour slowly draining from her face.

"Every last bit," Katniss whispers back with a raspy voice.

"You have to win."

"I'm going to. Going to win for both of us now," promises Katniss.

Marvel's cannon blows, but nobody pays attention to it.

"Don't go," pleads Rue.

"'Course not. Staying right here," says Katniss as she gently moves Rue's head onto her lap and strokes her head gently. She looks so motherly doing this. She tucks a stray strand of hair behind Rue's ears.

"Sing," says Rue.

Katniss contemplates this over in her head before clearing her throat.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

Katniss' voice is sweet and clear, enunciating every word with perfect melody. Rue's eyes flutter close. Tears fall from Katniss' eyes and I now have to clench my fists to stop myself from crying too and distract me from the pang in my chest.

The whole forest is silent. There are no mockingjays singing, no footsteps of any human or animal and no rustling of leaves. Even in the control room, nobody moves or says a word. Just silence. Then the mockingjays pick up the song.

Her tears fall onto Rue's pale face and the heaving of her chest slows to a stop. Her cannon fires. Katniss leans forward and places a gentle kiss on Rue's forehead. Then very slowly, she lays her head on the ground and releases her hand.

She walks over to Marvel's dead body and takes his pack, also retrieving the arrow that ended his life. She also takes Rue's pack, but leaves the spear in her stomach.

Everybody's still looking at Rue. Nobody can look at her dead body and not feel guilty or sad in some way. Otherwise, you're completely heartless. Such a sweet, innocent little girl. Her life was ended in an extremely despicable way. Nobody, _nobody_ deserves a death like this. Nobody.

And I know Katniss is thinking the same thing as she gathers an armful of wildflowers and goes back to Rue's side. One stem at a time, she decorates Rue's body with flowers. She covers the ugly wound and weaves the violet and yellow blossoms into her hair. When Katniss is done, Rue looks just like a little girl who fell asleep in a meadow.

"Bye, Rue," whispers Katniss. She then presses three fingers to her lips and holds them out for everybody to see. It means thank you. It means goodbye to someone you admire. But most importantly, it means goodbye to someone you love. Then she walks away without looking back.

I don't realize that I'm crying until the tears plummet onto my hands, which are still intertwined with Seeder's. Portia, Seeder and I are all crying. Not sobbing, but crying silent tears.

The birds fall silent. A mockingjay gives a warning whistle that the hovercraft is coming to collect the bodies. It doesn't take long before they start singing again.

A mockingjay perches on a branch by Katniss and sings Rue's four- note melody.

"Good and safe," says Katniss with a soft smile. "We don't have to worry about her now."

Seeder gets up from her seat and walks over to Chaff, the other District 11 mentor. He engulfs her in a tight hug and they stand like that for who knows how long. She whispers something in his ear and he nods, whispering something back.

She walks aimlessly until sunset. Just as she hauls herself up a tree, a parachute floats down and lands in front of Katniss. A gift from District 11.

She opens the parachute and sees a loaf of bread with dark ration grain and shaped in a crescent and sprinkled with seeds. The District 11 bread.

She lifts her face into the sky and says, "My thanks to the people of District 11."

She settles on a dangerously high branch and straps herself in the sleeping bag. Soon, the seal is in the sky with the anthem blaring out. The face of Marvel appears in the sky, and then it's Rue. She looks even more like an angel, with her cherubic face projected in the sky. I think of her 5 siblings. Her mother and father. Her grandparents. I think of the life that she could've had if there was never such thing as the Hunger Games. I think of her sweet smile and the way her eyes lit up around Katniss.

_Goodbye, Little Rue. You will not be forgotten._

**Hoped you liked it! It was hard to write Rue's death, because it's just so heartbreaking :( I hope I wrote it just right! Any suggestions or ideas, just review please (: Don't forget to review, favourite and alert! :D**


	18. Chapter 17: Oblivion

**2 MORE WEEKS UNTIL SUMMER HOLIDAYS :D Can't wait (: Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Katniss and Peeta made it to the final six. This is the first time in years when both tributes from Twelve have made it this far. Another good thing that happened is that Peeta, who after so many days of unconsciousness, is finally awake. Although he looks extremely unhealthy and weak, he's alive and right now, that's all that matters.

Katniss sleeps with a tranquil and almost happy face. Maybe she's having the first blissful dream in a while. While she lies there peacefully with her hands hugging the loaf of bread from yesterday, Peeta's face is drained of colour and his chapped lips are in great need of water. He somehow manages to drag himself from his spot to the stream and uses his right hand to cup some water and brings it to his lips. He winces at every little movement he makes and his face is contorted in pain.

"I hope that Katniss finds him soon," says Portia sadly. "I can't bear it, seeing him like that."

"She'll find him," I tell her reassuringly. "Somehow, I just know she will." I pray she will.

When Katniss wakes up, she lies there for an hour or so, staring into space, probably thinking about Rue or her little sister, Primrose. Or Marvel, whom was her first kill. There is so much that could be on her mind and that she has to carry on her shoulders. Poor girl.

Clove and Cato are now up and about, looking healthy and ruthless as ever. The stings on Cato's body are now replaced with fresh pink skin. Both Cato and Clove's faces are twisted with determination and anger. A face that says _I will kill whoever gets in my way_.

Amber is trekking the forest ground with a devious smirk on her porcelain face, like she had some extremely crafty plan up her sleeve. If I had to pick 2 words to describe her, it would be cunning and sly. You cannot trust those dark eyes of hers.

Thresh is feasting on more of those wheat grains. He looks so content and even relaxed, but I bet even he knows that it's all going to change soon. Very, very soon.

When Katniss finally _gets_ up from her sleeping position, she has to give herself commandments to actually get moving. "Now you have to sit up, Katniss. Now you have to drink water, Katniss. Now you have to sort the packs, Katniss."

After gathering all her supplies, she eats the loaf of bread while walking down the forest.

Just when Katniss is gathering wood for a fire, Haymitch rushes in the room with an anxious look on his face, panting with his hands on his knees.

"What's wrong, Haymitch? Did they not let you drink anymore liquor, or did you forget where they kept the supplies?" asks Portia with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Effie and I try to keep ourselves from laughing and end up snorting. Haymitch gives the trademark scowl that Katniss always wore on her face.

"Haha, very funny, Portia. You are wrong. The supply closet has always been filled with liquor and has stayed in the same place for the past 25 years, my dears. They've never tried to stop me from taking any," says Haymitch matter-of-factly. I can only pity Haymitch; being sent here once every year for 25 consecutive years to send kids off to die must be the worst job anybody could have. "Anyway, back to business," continues Haymitch. "Rumour has it that there will be an announcement about a rule change."

"Really?" Effie says. "You mean… You mean… _A rule change?_"

Everybody lets the sentence hang in the air for a moment.

"You mean, maybe this year, two tributes from the same district, might be able, to come home, _together?_" I ask in disbelief.

Haymitch nods his head.

Portia puts her head in her hands and mumbles, "That's a good thing, right?"

"Well, I don't see how there could be anything bad in this! Katniss and Peeta have a change of coming home! Together!" exclaims Effie with a clap of her hands.

Haymitch bites his lip. He opens his mouth to say something then closes it again. The thing he was going to say was probably too dangerous to be mentioned here. It's probably something that he'll save for another rebellion meeting.

Portia nods with uncertainty. "Wonderful."

Effie seems too oblivious to realize what will happen. Nobody has the heart to burst her happy little bubble. For the first time in 74 years, two victors from the same district will be able to come home. Alive. But what if this is a hoax? What if the Seneca changes his mind at the very last minute, when there are only two tributes left? Come to think of it, that seems to be the case. Get everybody hyped up and make the tributes kill even faster then tell them that it was a mistake. Only one victor can win.

We sit soundlessly on the couch, watching Katniss overcook her bird and sending more flames and smoke into the air, as if urging someone to come find her.

Then it comes. Claudius Templesmith's voice booms over the arena. He congratulates the six who are still alive: Katniss, Peeta, Thresh, Cato and Clove. When the words _rule change_ echoes across the arena, shock crosses the face of every person in Panem. Almost.

And then Katniss calls out Peeta's name.

**Sorry for the short chapter! I've been very uninspired lately. But I'm sure your reviews will motivate me more! I'm not going to be like some authors, who say they will only upload a chapter if they get to a certain number of reviews, but reviews do really make my day and they definitely motivate me! So please, pretty please review, favourite and alert (:**


	19. Chapter 18: Reunited

**We're at Chapter 19! We're nearing the end of Hunger Games… I don't know about you, but I can't wait to write Catching Fire!**

**I FINALLY watched Hunger Games on Saturday! Pretty good; I LOVED the cave scene. Josh and Jennifer were AMAZINGGG and honorable mention to Wes Bentley. Donald Sutherland was a pretty awesome Snow too! I just realized how different Portia looked compared to what I described her… Hope it doesn't change anything though :/ And there are a lot of different features in there too, but I'm still sticking to the books when I write. **

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the Hunger Games.**

"I don't know, Cinna. I think that if we use silk, it could give the dress kind of a candlelight glow."

Portia and I stare at the piece of primrose yellow silk in our hands. Since we're in the final six, it is mandatory for the stylists of the remaining tributes to submit 3 designs to review board. They're the ones who decide what district tokens are allowed and what costumes the tributes will wear. They're also the ones who tell the surgeons whether the victors should have bigger chests or wider hips. They're the big bosses, appearance wise.

"Whatever you says, goes," I say to Portia.

This is our third design for Katniss' victor dress, and also my favourite. And after finishing the rough design, I see that Portia's right. Under the right lighting, the yellow silk does look like glowing candlelight. No flames this time, because we're going to make Katniss look vulnerable; innocent.

"_They're not happy about this, Cinna," says Haymitch with a hushed tone and head down. _

"_What?"_

_Haymitch comes closer and whispers, "Snow doesn't like what Seneca did. He really, really doesn't like it. Seneca allowed two victors to win, Cinna. That has never happened before. Never should've happened. Snow's going to kill Seneca, one way or the other."_

_I crease my eyebrows. "So what are you trying to say here?"_

"_Chances of Katniss and Peeta coming home together are very, very likely. But then again, they could just change the rules again. But if they don't, well, Katniss and Peeta will have just earned a spot on Snow's 'To Kill' List."_

-xxx-

When Portia and I send off the designs to the review board, we go to the control room, where Haymitch and Effie are not present. Hopefully, they're talking to some sponsors.

We see Katniss travelling down the stream, probably in search of Peeta. On the other screen, Katniss' dot is inching closer to Peeta's dot.

"She's almost there!" squeals Portia. "She's so, _so_ close."

The dot moves closer, closer, closer, until-

"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?"

Portia embraces me in a tight hug and laughs joyfully. "She found him! She found him!"

I laugh and go back to watching pure shock cross Katniss' face. I just find it funny that Peeta used the name Haymitch uses on Katniss.

"Peeta," she whispers cautiously. "Where are you?" She creeps slowly along the bank of the river.

"Well, don't step on me."

Katniss' eyes widen when she looks down. Peeta is so well camouflaged; you can only see his startling blue eyes when opened and a very faint line of his lips.

"Close your eyes again," orders Katniss. She observes him a while before saying, "I guess all those hours of decorating cakes paid off."

Peeta smiles but with his eyes still closed. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."

"You're not going to die," says Katniss firmly.

"Says who?" challenges Peeta.

"Says me. We're on the same team now, you know," says Katniss.

His eyes open. "So I heard, Nice of you to find what's left of me."

Katniss seems to ignore his comment and takes out her water and gives him a drink. "Did Cato cut you?" she asks while slowly tilting the bottle.

"Left leg, high up," says Peeta, before sipping the water.

"Let's get you in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you've got," says Katniss.

"Lean down a minute first," says Peeta. "Need to tell you something."

Katniss leans over and puts her good ear to him. He whispers something in her ear and it's so quiet that the cameras can't catch it. But it must only be meant for Katniss then. She jerks her head back and laughs.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

She starts dragging Peeta across the bank to the river. Well, tries to drag him. Every movement he makes elicits a sharp cry of pain from his lips. Then Katniss gives him a hard tug, but he's still two feet from the water. He lies there, writhing with pain and trails of tears streaming down his dirty face.

"Look, Peeta, I'm going to roll you into the stream. It's very shallow here, okay?" says Katniss.

"Excellent," says Peeta with a dry voice.

"On three," says Katniss. "One, two, three!"

She only manages one full roll before she stops because of the horrible sound that Peeta's making.

"Will she realize that it's not going to work?" asks Portia sadly. "The cut's too deep. He has lost a lot of blood and probably won't be able to move."

"I'm sure she'll figure something out," I say reassuringly.

"Okay, change of plans. I'm not going to put you all the way in," says Katniss thoughtfully. Portia lets out a sigh of relief.

"No more rolling?" asks Peeta hopefully.

"That's all done. Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me, okay?" says Katniss. It's going to be a tough job; he's so caked with mud and matted leaves that you couldn't see his clothes. Katniss seems hesitant and doesn't know where to start.

Portia giggles. "I think she's uncomfortable about seeing Peeta naked," says Portia cheekily.

"I think so too," I say with a smile.

Katniss takes two of her water bottles and Rue's water skins and fills them up to the brim. She props two of them against the rock and pours the third over his body and finally gets enough mud of his clothes. After she unzips his jacket and unbuttons his shirt, she has to use a knife to cut his undershirt off his sticky body and then drench it again to work it loose. He's badly bruised with a long burn across his chest and four tracker- jacker stings including the one under his ear.

After cleaning out his wounds on his upper body, she props him against a boulder and starts working on his legs.

"She seems to know what she's doing," says Portia.

"According to Haymitch, her mother was, _is_ a healer. Maybe she picked up some life saving skills at home?"

"Probably," says Portia with a shrug. "She seems pretty good at this stuff."

Peeta sits, unmoving, while Katniss cleans his hair and skin. His flesh is a pale, sickly white and what muscle he had is almost gone. She uses the same leaves that Rue used on his tracker- jacker stings and Peeta sighs in relief. 

While the sun dries Peeta off, Katniss washes Peeta's filthy clothes and spreads them over some rocks to dry.

She places the back of her hand on his forehead and her face creases with worry.

"He looks hot. I think he's burning with a fever," says Portia worriedly.

I place my hand on top of hers and squeeze it gently. "Katniss will take care of him. Like I said, she'll figure something out. If not, I'm sure that we'll convince Haymitch to send him some medicine."

Portia nods, but the worry still clear on her face.

She digs through the first- aid kit that she got from Marvel. She finds a temperature- reducing pill and motions for Peeta to open his mouth.

"Swallow these," orders Katniss. Peeta obliges and gulps them down with a sip of water. "You must be hungry."

"Not really. It's funny, I haven't been hungry for days," says Peeta. In fact, when she offers him groosling, he wrinkles his nose at it and turns away.

"That's not good, Cinna. When a sick person denies food, you know they are extremely ill," says Portia anxiously.

"Portia, please, I'm sure he'll be fine," I try to say reassuringly, but even I'm not really convincing myself.

"Peeta, we need to get some food in you," insists Katniss.

"It'll just come right back up," says Peeta.

But Katniss manages to coax some bits of dried apple into him. After he finishes the last bits, he smiles and asks, "Thanks. I'm much better now. Can I sleep now, Katniss?"

"Soon," promises Katniss. "I need to look at your leg first."

She slowly eases his boots and socks off and gently slides his pants off. Katniss nearly faints when she sees Peeta's wound.

Cato's sword had cut deep into his thigh. The deep inflamed gash oozes blood and pus with swelled flesh. Katniss looks like she's prepared to faint and vomit her guts out.

"Pretty awful, huh?" asks Peeta, looking closely at Katniss.

"So- so," says Katniss with a careless shrug. "You should see some of the people they bring to my mother from the mines. First thing is to clean it well."

She starts cleaning the wound by pouring the water over it. But the more water washes over it, the worse it looks. Without the dirt and mud, the wound is bloodier and bigger than ever. Peeta has another tracker- jacker sting and a small burn on his legs, so Katniss treats them first with the resources she has. When she finishes though, she seems unsure about what to do with his thigh.

"Why don't we give it some air and then…"

"And then you'll patch it up?" continues Peeta. The look on his face tells me that he knows that it's bad, but he's trying to help Katniss out by making it sound simpler.

"That's right. In the meantime, you eat these," says Katniss while putting a few dried pear halves in Peeta's hands. She goes back to the stream and washes his clothes. When their flattened out and drying, she examines the first aid kit, probably trying to find something for Peeta's leg, but there's only the basic stuff: bandages, fever pills and medicine for stomach aches.

"We're going to have to experiment some," admits Katniss, with a slightly ashamed look on her face.

She uses the tracker- jacker leaves to cover his wound and pus starts coming out. Katniss' face is a sickly green and is probably close to barfing now.

"Katniss?" asks Peeta. Katniss looks up at him and he mouths the words _how about that kiss. _

Portia and I laugh. That must've been what Peeta was telling Katniss just now.

Katniss bursts out in laughter.

"Something wrong?" asks Peeta innocently.

"I… I'm not good at this. I'm not my mother. I've no idea what I'm doing and I hate pus," says Katniss, defeated. She lets out a few groans as she washes out the pus on the leaves and applies the second round of them on his wound.

"How do you hunt?" asks Peeta.

"Trust me. Killing things is much easier than this," says Katniss. "Although for all I know, I am killing you."

"Can you speed it up a little?" asks Peeta. He looks extremely worn out and ready to crash.

"No. Shut up and eat your pears," says Katniss sternly.

After three rounds of the leaves and what seems to be a bucket of pus, Peeta's wound looks slightly better. But now, you can see clearly, how deep Cato's sword went. Right to the bone.

"What next, Dr Everdeen?" asks Peeta.

"Maybe I'll put some burn ointment on it," says Katniss. "I think it helps with infection anyway. And wrap it up?"

She wraps his thigh with clean white cotton and after that, it looks much better. Katniss seems to be pondering for a moment before taking Rue's pack and passing it to Peeta.

"Here, cover yourself with this and I'll wash your shorts," says Katniss.

"Oh, I don't care if you see me," says Peeta with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're just like the rest of my family. I care, all right?" says Katniss.

She turns her back against him until Peeta throws his shorts into the stream.

"You know, you're kind of squeamish for such a lethal person," says Peeta jokingly. "I wish I'd let you give Haymitch a shower after all."

Katniss wrinkles her nose. "What's he sent you so far?"

"Not a thing," says Peeta. He raises an eyebrow. "Why, did you get something?"

"Burn medicine. Oh, and some bread," says Katniss sheepishly.

"I always knew you were his favourite," says Peeta with a told-you-so look, but hurt flickers in his eyes. But it's gone before she notices.

"Please, he can't stand being in the same room as me," says Katniss with a scoff.

"Because you're just alike," mutters Peeta.

Come to think of it, Haymitch and Katniss have many similarities. They're both sarcastic, fierce and both have almost the same sense of humour.

She lets Peeta doze off as she lets his shorts dry.

"Do you think they're going to kiss?" asks Portia.

I can't help but grin. "I don't know. Maybe. It'll certainly gain them more support."

By late afternoon, Katniss wakes Peeta up by gently shaking his shoulder.

"Peeta, we have to go now."

"Go?" says Peeta, confused. Probably still on sleep mode. "Go where?"

"Away from here. Downstream maybe. Somewhere we can hide you until you're stronger," says Katniss. She helps him dress and leaves his feet bare. As soon as she pulls him upright and he's standing, the colour drains from his face.

"Come on. You can do this," says Katniss encouragingly.

Peeta tries. Oh, he tries all right. But his thigh doesn't seem to be helping him in the least bit. A little bit of weight on his leg makes his eye twitch. They manage to make it five miles before Katniss lets him take a break. Peeta puts his head between his knees while Katniss awkwardly pats his back.

She looks around and finds a cave. Well, rocks in cave- like structures. Katniss half- carries, half- guides Peeta to the cave. She covers the bed of the cave with pine needles, unrolls her sleeping bag and tucks Peeta in. She looks extremely motherly when doing this, like she's done it for someone back home.

She gives him a couple of pills and some water but he refuses the fruit. She gives up soon when she realizes he won't anything, so she tries to camouflage the cave entrance. She tries to cover it and making it look natural, but she ends up extremely frustrated and tears it down.

"Katniss," says Peeta. Katniss rushes to his side and brushes the hair off his forehead. "Thanks for finding me."

"You would've found me if you could," says Katniss. Then a look of worry crosses her face.

"Yes. Look, if I don't make it back-"

"Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing."

"I know, but just in case I don't-"

"No, Peeta, I don't even want to discuss it," says Katniss firmly, placing her finger gently on his lips.

"But, I-"

The unexpected happens. She leans forward and presses her lips to his. After registering the fact that Katniss just kissed Peeta, I chuckle lightly and smile. _Good job, Katniss. Haymitch is bound to send you something now._

When she breaks away, she looks him in the eye and says, "You're not going to die. I forbid it. All right?"

"All right," whispers Peeta.

Haymitch rushes in the room, hastily presses some buttons and rushes back out.

"Okay…" says Portia, confused.

Katniss steps out into the cool air just as the parachute arrives. It's a pot of hot broth.

Haymitch couldn't have had sent a clearer message to her. One kiss equals one pot of broth.

"Peeta!" says Katniss. Her voice has taken a very un- Katniss like tone as she rushes to his side. When she sees that he dozed off, she kisses him awake. For a moment, he's startled. Then he smiles as if he just won a year's worth of bread.

She holds up the pot and says, "Peeta, look what Haymitch sent you."

Getting the broth into Peeta's mouth, down his throat into his stomach takes about an hour of coaxing, begging and kissing from Katniss. When he's done, Katniss allows him to drift off into sleep and then gulps down some groosling and roots. There are no faces projected in the sky tonight.

It seems to be pretty cold in there, because Katniss is freezing enough to share the sleeping bag with Peeta. She feels his forehead, then goes out again to wet a bandage and dab it on his forehead.

She does this for so long until I feel I can't even open my eyes any longer.

"Portia, I'm going to sleep now. Are you staying up?"

Portia nods. She pats her lap and I lay my head on it and shut my eyes.

"You think Katniss really loves him though?" Portia asks curiously.

I yawn and smile. "Now? No. But honestly, she's going to fall in love with him, one way or the other."

**I'm really sorry for taking so long to update! I've been extremely busy and quite uninspired :S It's also a really, really long chapter so I had to take my time with it. I'll be leaving for the holidays this Sunday so I won't be updating for about 10 days :/ Also, Prim and Katniss' mother's interviews are in the next chapter, so please bear with me! Review, favourite and alert please!**


	20. Author's Note

Sorry if you thought it was a chapter :( I'm having a REALLY bad writer's block right now and the chapter that I'm writing right now isn't good and I won't upload it until I'm satisfied with it.

I'm more focused on writing Silent Screams now, so if you want to you can check that one out for now.

Sorry again, and please bear with me :(


	21. Chapter 19: Meeting Rose

**Chapter 20 is finally here! I had a REALLY bad writer's block… :( Sorry for the long wait! Hope the chapter makes up for it :/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

"Well, at least it looks like his fever's breaking," says Portia optimistically.

"Definitely an improvement," agrees Effie with a bob of her head and a sip of her champagne.

"You know, Katniss spent the whole night changing the bandage and a bucket of water so that his fever would go down?" says Portia.

"Really?" I ask. A bit surprising, but I guess that since Peeta was Katniss' ally that she would help him.

"Yup, she did. She was awake for the whole night," says Effie.

"Bet she's just be working on the star- crossed lovers angle," says Haymitch with a monotone voice. "If there were no star- crossed lovers, she wouldn't have even gone after him." Always the pessimist. Also, being drunk since 5 in the morning doesn't really help the attitude either.

Katniss walks out of the cave and gathers some berries, strips the skin off and mashes them in the broth pot with water. At that moment, Peeta murmurs in his sleep while his arms start fidgeting.

Suddenly, his eyes open and he's breathing heavily. He looks around the cave and calls out, "Katniss?"

He panics when she doesn't reply. He takes deep breaths and fidgets with his blanket. When Katniss finally comes back, the wrinkles on his forehead smooth out and he struggles to get up.

"I woke up and you were gone," says Peeta with a concerned tone. "I was worried about you."

Katniss laughs as she eases him back down. "You were worried about me? Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"I thought Cato and Clove might've found you. They like to hunt at night," says Peeta with a serious face.

"Clove? Which one is that?"

"The girl from District 2. She's still alive, right?" asks Peeta.

"Yes, there's just them and us and Thresh and Foxface," says Katniss. "That's what I nicknamed the girl from Five. How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday. This is an enormous improvement over the mud. Clean clothes and medicine and a sleeping bag… and you," says Peeta.

Effie and Portia sigh like it was them that Peeta was talking too.

"What a charmer," says Portia with a smile.

"Quite the man," agrees Effie with a giggle. Haymitch rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath; something along the lines of how annoying and love- struck women can get.

Katniss reaches out to touch his cheek and just as she does, Peeta takes her hand and presses his lips to the palm of her hand. Effie and Portia sigh again as I laugh at them.

"Sorry, ladies. Peeta's taken," I say jokingly. I earn a playful punch from Portia and an eye roll from Effie.

"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," says Katniss.

She props Peeta up against the wall and he obediently swallows the spoonful of berry mush that is being fed to him, but he still refuses the groosling.

"You didn't sleep," says Peeta with a crease of his eyebrow.

"I'm all right," says Katniss. But I can see that her eyes are tired and droopy and her actions are slightly slower and her voice seems to be a bit flat.

"Sleep now. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you up if anything happens," persuades Peeta. It seems to be working because Katniss hesitates a bit. "Katniss, you can't stay up forever."

Katniss finally caves in and says, "All right. But only for a few hours. Then you wake me." Peeta obliges.

Katniss smooths out the sleeping bag on the floor and lies down with one arm on her loaded bow, probably for security. Peeta sits beside her with his back against the wall, his bad leg stretched out against him and his eyes staring outside.

"Go to sleep," says Peeta gently. His hands brush the strands of hair on Katniss' forehead. Katniss' face relaxes and soon falls asleep to the slow rhythm of Peeta's stroking.

"Aren't they just the sweetest things?" says Effie with a smile.

Haymitch grunts as the remote blinks and beeps again. "More sponsors."

"Should I come with you?" asks Effie as she gets up from her seat.

Haymitch grumbles a no and walks off. Effie shrugs and sits back into the leather couch.

"Is he alright? I know he's drunk, but he's seems a bit off. Did something happen last night?" asks Portia once Haymitch is out of earshot.

Effie shrugs carelessly as she takes a sip of her champagne. "It's nothing." But I can tell by the look in her eyes and her movements that she's lying. When Effie's lying, her eyes twitch a bit and her hands get slightly fidgety.

"Effie, just tell us," I say. "Besides, is it that personal that we can't know about it?"

Effie sighs and places her glass down on the table. "I don't know what really happened actually. Last night, Haymitch was talking about whether the rule change was real or just a hoax. Then I said that of course it wasn't a hoax. The Hunger Games is something that involves the whole country and I can't see why they would make a joke out of it. Then he said that it never happened before and that there were plenty of other romances in other Hunger Games but they didn't change the rules. So I said that Katniss and Peeta were an exception, which is true. Then Haymitch got mad and started yelling at me and saying things like, 'I loved Maysilee too! They didn't make an exception for that! They killed her, Effie!' and then he left. I don't know. Did I say something wrong to offend him? If I did, I really didn't mean to…"

Portia hugs Effie and says, "Maysilee's death was really hard on him, Effie. It's his soft spot. I think he also feels that he could've saved her but he didn't. I guess he kind of wished that there was a rule change in his games too."

Effie nods and sighs. "I'm going to talk to him. See you guys later."

As soon as Effie leaves the room, Portia takes out her sketchbook and starts sketching while I watch her hand move quickly across the page to create a beautiful drawing of the Cornucopia.

"Very nice," I say to Portia as she's just adding the finishing touches to the tip of the golden horn.

"Thank you," she says with a smile.

I look at the screen and see that Katniss is still asleep and Peeta is still staring out of the cave. I decide that since there's nothing important going on, I'll go up to the roof to relax.

"I'm going to the roof, Portia," I say as I open the door. "See you later."

-xxx-

It feels good to be out again. As I lean on the railings, I think about how sometimes it's better to just be by yourself and just enjoy the view.

Just when I feel myself about to doze off, I hear soft footsteps coming towards me. I turn around and see a little girl walking towards me.

Well, you can't really say she was a little girl. She looked about 13 or 14. The sunlight bounces off her platinum blonde hair and making it shine and her startling, icy blue eyes bring out her high cheekbones. Her face is expressionless, no hints of happiness or sadness. Her eyes are flat and emotionless.

"Hi there," I say softly to her. "I'm Cinna."

The girl nods and says, "I'm Rose'.

"Nice to meet you." I extend my hand for her to shake and I'm almost taken aback by the iciness in her hands.

"Nice to meet you too," she says as she leans on the railing next to me. "You're the stylist from 12, aren't you?"

"That's right," I say. We stand there in an awkward silence and I'm tempted to ask her what she's doing here. But I'm also wondering about who she is. She looks extremely familiar and seemed to resemble someone I know. I rack my brain for the possibilities, but it doesn't send me any clues as to who she is. So instead, I ask, "You have a very pretty name."

Rose nods and says, "Yeah. It's my grandpa's favourite flower."

I smile and say, "That's lovely. Roses are beautiful flowers."

Rose smiles. When she smiles, she reminds me the ladies from one of those ancient paintings; porcelain skin, red lips and rosy cheeks. "Thanks, Cinna."

"For what?" I ask.

"I really appreciate the fact that you don't ask me a lot of questions. People always ask what I'm doing and saying that I should be some place else."

"Why is that?" I ask with curiosity.

"It's because they know my grandpa. He gets very worried when he doesn't know where I am, or if I'm gone too long. He says that it's dangerous. Once, a bodyguard went to the bathroom while I was waiting out here and left me to go back by myself, my grandpa was so furious he killed him right there and then."

I raise my eyebrows. "Wow, your grandpa must really care about you. He also must be a man of great power if he can just kill people like that."

Rose shrugs. "Well, I guess that you can do whatever you want, kill whoever you want if you're the president."

**DUN DUN DUN. I was a bit uncertain about this chapter. Still am. But I'd like to thank ****Blinkandyoullmissit for the idea. Without her review, this chapter wouldn't be up.**

**I got an anonymous review asking when I'm going to finish. The Spark will probably end in around 3-5 chapters. I'm not sure yet. Also, I'm still extremely uninspired. And it really sucks. So the ending won't be anytime soon. :/ **

**Anyway, review, favourite and alert please (: **


	22. Chapter 20: Final Six

**SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! Horrible writer's block. I hope this chapter makes up for it :S *****crosses fingers***** Hope you enjoy this chapter (:**

**THANKS TO MY AMAZING REVIEWERS WHO HELPED ME GET HERE: **primstar, Duchess of Night, Blinkandyoullmissit, SONE34, jojo167, irmaida, Starrynight77, Katrina, Hayley TT Showbiz, James018, .africa99, mrs liu, anonymous, thefanfictiongirl, L345, silvia, KJ, charchie8987, , MyLittleAngelxxx, JoshuaEvans123, charchi8987, bigtimecrazy123, , ARTISTIC, Mavira, mimish100, jimsost. **YOU GUYS ARE FLAWLESS.**

**Final Six: Cato, Clove, Katniss, Peeta, Thresh and Foxface.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.**

"Cinna, you're going to miss the interviews!"

I quickly walk over to the couch and plop between Portia and Effie. Haymitch sits on the armchair with a small glass of red wine.

Caesar Flickerman appears on the screen and is wearing his light bulb suit again. He's sitting next to Claudius Templesmith, who has on a mustard yellow suit with a crimson red bow tie.

"It is a tradition of the Hunger Games to interview the families of the tributes when it comes down to the final six," says Caesar Flickerman as he leans on one elbow.

"Yes, and I find this year's pool of tributes one of the most interesting ones yet! For the first time in decades, we've had both tributes from Twelve in the final six! This is definitely a year that won't be forgotten," comments Claudius Templesmith.

"Absolute, Claudius. From District One, we have the family and friends of Glimmer Glasswood and Marvel Neil!"

Then a Capitol lady with ivory eyelashes and midnight black hair standing next to a man with platinum hair and an expensive looking suit, beaming triumphantly, as if he had just won a million dollars. But judging by the looks of this man, he already has the million dollars.

"I'm Irvina Lyme and I'm here with the father of Marvel Neil, Marcus Neil!" trills Irvina.

Marcus Neil. His name is known all over the Capitol; he is one of the richest men in Panem. He owns one of the most exquisite diamond stores in District One and yet doesn't make enough to satisfy himself.

The man smiles, showing his pearly white teeth and says, "Thank you."

"How do you think Marvel is doing in the Games?"

"Marvel is going to win; no doubt about that," says the man with an arrogant smirk. "All the other tributes are just _little_ obstacles on his way to victory. He's my son; he will win. He'll be home in no time."

"What about the other tributes? Do you think they stand a chance? What about Cato and Clove, from District One? And Katniss and Peeta, from Twelve?"

Marcus scoffs and says, "Cato and Clove are just arrogant maniacs and are going to die in the Games. Katniss and Peeta, well, they're a different story. They put up this 'star-crossed lovers' act because they know they don't have any talents and have no chance of winning. So they think this is the best way to get sponsors, and in my opinion, that is the loser's way of weaseling their way to win."

I feel furious at his pompous remarks, but I keep my cool. I have a feeling he's going to die of embarrassment when Katniss or Peeta end up coming home.

Irvina then goes on to interview a couple of Marvel's friends and then Glimmer's little sister, mother and friends. All their comments are a slightly milder version of Marcus's.

The interviews from Two are about the same; everybody seems to _know_ that their tributes are going to come home. Either they're all really conceited or they're just really good at hiding their fear and concern.

The interviews from Amber's family and friends are different, of course. Her parents are much more sincere and the concern and sadness are literally etched into the creases in their foreheads. They also interview her 5 year old little brother, Anson. Like Amber, he has flaming red hair and fox like features, but he is absolutely adorable.

When the interviewer asks him if he misses his sister, he pouts and answers, "I miss Am-mer so much. I want Am-mer to come home." Then he holds up his tattered teddy bear and says, "Even Bobo misses her."

It's absolutely silent in the Control Room. A few tears trail down Portia and Effie's faces and I swear that Haymitch's eyes are tearing up too, but he hides it by taking a gulp of his wine."

Then it's time for the District 11 interviews. According to the interviewer, Thresh's parents died of a sickly disease that spread around when he was younger, leaving Thresh to stay with his only living relative; his grandmother.

"I hope Thresh comes home," she says with a raspy voice. "It only makes sense if he's sitting by my deathbed; it shouldn't be the other way round." 

Even the interviewer doesn't know what to say.

Then it's finally District 12. The first person to be interviewed is Haymitch.

"You didn't tell us you were interviewed," said Effie with a smile.

Haymitch grunted in reply and sips his wine, making a loud slurp.

"So, Haymitch, this is the first time in decades both of Twelve's tributes made it to the final six, how do you feel about this?"

"Great."

The interviewer stares at him, hoping that he'll say more. But he doesn't. Effie and Portia stifle a laugh while I smile.

"I think it's amazing how this year, they're allowing two tributes to win? Did you have anything to do with this rule change?"

"No."

"Okay… Well, do you think Katniss and Peeta will make it back together, in one piece?" asks the interviewer with exasperation.

"Yeah."

The interviewer sighs in frustration, which causes Effie and Portia to erupt in laughter and I have to cover my mouth and lean on my elbow to look like I don't want to burst out in laughter too. On the screen, Haymitch looks like someone just made him eat a lemon that had been dunked in vinegar.

Then the scene changes to Prim and Mrs Everdeen.

When the interviewer asks Prim about Katniss, her face lights up and she says, "Katniss is the best sister in the world! I know she'll come back, I know she can do it!"

I can't help but smile at her. Prim is probably the most likeable and adorable person in this world.

"Mrs Everdeen, what do you think about the relationship that's going on between Katniss and Peeta? Do you approve of it?"

Mrs Everdeen smiles and says, "I think it's sweet. At least he's keeping her happy when we can't."

The scene switches to a young man who could easily pass for Katniss' cousin or brother.

"I've interviewed a lot of people in your district and they've directed all the questions to you. They say that you're not only Katniss's cousin, but also her best friend. Tell us about your relationship."

He flinches when he hears the word 'cousin'. The man's facial expression is stony and his voice is hard as he answers, "We're _good_ friends. _Nothing_ more."

Judging by his reaction to what the interviewer just said, he is in fact, not Katniss' cousin. Then we see what looks to be Peeta's family. There are two boys, whom I'm guessing are his brothers and his father and mother.

"So, you handsome young men must be Peeta's brothers!"

"Yeah," says the one on the left shyly.

"Are you guys close to Peeta? Do you think he'll make it back?"

"He's our best friend and brother," says the one on the right with a firm tone. "We love him, and he loves us. He'll do anything for the people he loves, therefore, he'll come back. He'll bring pride to our family and district."

The interviewer nods and turns to Peeta's mother. "Mrs Mellark, what do you think about the budding romance between your son and Katniss Everdeen?"

Rage burns in Mrs Mellark's eyes and I can tell that what she's going to say won't be pretty.

"I disapprove completely."

The interviewer raises her eyebrows and says, "Would you like to explain yourself?"

Mrs Mellark rolls her eyes and says in a spiteful voice, "I don't want that damned _Katniss Everdeen_ anywhere near my son. She is a thief, a bitch and piece of trash."

I suck in my breath. Katniss must've done something really bad to make this woman hate her so much. But I really don't think Katniss would do something _so _bad that it would make someone say things like that to her.

"That woman's got nerves," says Portia.

"Nobody should talk about Katniss like that!" exclaims Effie angrily. "Who does she think she is?"

"Peeta's father had a long history with Katniss' mother," says Haymitch.

"Why does that involve Katniss?" asks Effie. Just then, his sponsor remote beeps and he gets up from his seat and turns to us.

"Long story." Haymitch leaves it at that and leaves the room.

The interviews are over now and the screen goes back to the arena. Cato and Clove are practicing their… skills, while Foxface stays in another cave, about 300 metres away from Katniss and Peeta. Thresh is still in his wheat fields, looking better than ever. Katniss and Peeta are still in the cave, and we see that it's just when Peeta asks her to tell a story.

"Something happy. Tell me about the happiest day you remember," says Peeta.

Katniss struggles to find one, but in the end, she tells a story about how she got a goat for Prim's birthday. I could tell by the tone in her voice that she's lying. Not for the whole story, but for some bits, her voice seems uncertain and slightly higher pitched. But then again, it might just be my imagination.

By the time I focus on the screen again, they've stopped talking, due to the loud blast of the trumpet, which means that the Feast is coming up.

Katniss stands up in a flash and rushes to the mouth of the cave, probably hoping to hear the announcement better.

"Hello, tributes," booms Claudius Templesmith. "There will be a feast coming up tomorrow at dawn."

Katniss seems to wave it off and head back in, but then his voice booms again, "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation." It's as if he was watching all of them right now. Maybe he is. "But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately."

Hope shines in Katniss' eyes and we're all thinking the same thing: medicine for Peeta's leg.

"Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your District number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this may be your last chance."

As soon as the words blared from the arena speakers, Peeta gets up from his sleeping bag and hobbles over to Katniss and grips her shoulder.

"No," he says. "You're not risking your life for me."

"Who said I was?" says Katniss.

"So you're not going?"

"Of course I'm not going. Give me some credit. Do you think I'm running straight into a free-for-all against Cato and Clove and Thresh? Don't be stupid," says Katniss as she helps Peeta back to the sleeping bag. "I'll let them fight it out, we'll see who's in the sky tomorrow night and work out a plan from there."

Oh, Katniss. You're such a bad liar.

And Peeta thinks so too. "You're a bad liar, Katniss. I don't know how you've survived this long." He begins to mimic her: "I knew that goat would be a little gold mine. You're a little cooler though. Of course, I'm not going." He shakes his head. "Never gamble at cards. You'll lose your last coin."

Anger flushes in her face and Katniss retorts, "All right, I am going, and you can't stop me!"

Haymitch chooses this moment to walk back in the room and he sees Katniss and Peeta fighting.

"I'm gone for 2 minutes and they're already bickering? They even quarrel like a married couple…" grumbles Haymitch. "What are they arguing about?"

"Katniss wants to go to the feast but Peeta doesn't want to, so Peeta said that she won't go if Katniss doesn't go, and they agreed," says Effie.

Haymitch raises his eyebrows. "Well. I'll just have to fix that. Effie, come with me."

"What are you going to do to Peeta?" asks Effie curiously as she gets up from her seat."

"I'm not going to do anything to Peeta. Katniss will. Peeta is going to have a nice, peaceful slumber as Katniss goes to the feast to get his medicine."

xxx

As Katniss washes the bowls from their meal, she seems to be lost in her thoughts; she almost misses the parachute that floats right before her eyes.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" I ask Portia.

Portia shakes her head. "But I think we're going to find out soon."

Katniss opens the parachute and I have a feeling she thinks it's the vial of medicine that'll heal Peeta. But I know Haymitch; he won't just give it to them just like that.

She takes off the cork and sniffs it. She seems to ponder, then her face contorts with anger before she raises her hand to throw the vial into the water. But then she freezes. Her face relaxes and she seems to understand something that the rest of Panem doesn't.

Katniss mashes some berries and mint leaves in a bowl and pours the liquid into it. She heads back to the cave and says to Peeta, "I've brought you a treat. I found a new patch of berries a little farther downstream."

Peeta opens his mouth for the first bite without hesitation. He swallows then frowns slightly. "They're very sweet."

"Yes, they're sugar berries. My mother makes jam from them. Haven't you ever had them before?" I say, poking the next spoonful in his mouth.

"No," he says, almost puzzled. "But they taste familiar. Sugar berries?"

"Well, you can't get them in the market much, they only grow wild," says Katniss.

"They're sweet as syrup," he says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup." His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. She clamps her hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness.

"What did Haymitch send her," whispers Portia.

"Sleep syrup."

Haymitch enters the room and sits on his armchair, followed by Effie.

"I told him it was a bad idea, but he wouldn't listen!" says Effie as she crosses her arms.

"Relax, Princess; it'll only knock him out for a few hours; a day at the most. It's just sleep syrup so Katniss can go to the feast," explains Haymitch.

"Seems… okay, I guess. You sure it's safe?" I ask.

Haymitch rolls his eyes and says, "If it wasn't, I wouldn't be alive, would I?"

**Oh Haymitch. 2545 WORDS! WOOOTTTT :D I sorta have the next 2 chapters planned in my head; it's gonna get EXCITING :D Please review, favourite and alert for faster updates (: You guys are the best 3**


	23. Chapter 21: The Feast

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

"Portia, wake up. Katniss is leaving; you wouldn't want to miss anything."

I gently shake Portia as she stirs in her sleep. She gets up from my lap and rubs her eyes.

"Thanks," she murmurs. "Did you get any sleep?"

Both Portia and I stayed in the Control Room while Effie and Haymitch went back to their rooms. I stayed awake all night, anxious that I might oversleep, which would result in me missing the Feast.

I shake my head. "I'm fine," I say. "I'll catch up with my sleep after the Games."

By the time my attention is back on the screen, Katniss is already trekking down the forest towards the Cornucopia. It is approximately 3 hours before dawn and she wears the night vision glasses to help her see in the dark. She touches her left ear, which still has dried bits of blood on it. Hopefully, when she comes back from the Games, she'll be able to get it fixed. Hopefully.

Just as Katniss wriggles into an underbrush near the Cornucopia, Effie and Haymitch stride into the room, both wearing a smile on their faces, though certainly looks much more ecstatic than Haymitch.

"What happened? You guys look like you just won the Capitol lottery," says Portia with a smile.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," says Haymitch as he plops on the armchair and pours himself a glass of champagne. I raise my eyebrow, but don't say anything.

"We didn't miss much, did we?" asks Effie as she sits next to Portia.

I shake my head as I look back at the screen just before it starts. The ground at the mouth of the Cornucopia splits into two and a round table with 4 backpacks rises up. 2, 5, 11 and 12. The package labeled '12' will be easy for Katniss to carry around her wrist.

The table has just clicked into place when Amber darts out to the table, grabs her bag and speeds off in the direction she came from. Effie gasps at the scene while Portia just gapes with her jaw open.

"That was cunning," I comment. "Impressive.:

"If Katniss and Peeta don't watch out for her, she's going to win without having to fight," remarks Haymitch as he gulps down his champagne.

Katniss spends 3 precious seconds thinking before charging for the table. But at her right, Clove aims for her and flicks the knife. Thankfully, Katniss manages to hear it and deflects it with her bow. She turns swiftly and shoots at Clove. Fortunately for Katniss, it hit her left arm. Unfortunately, Clove throws with her right arm. Katniss immediately positions her next arrow like a trained huntswoman.

"Did she ever have experience with the bow and arrow? Back in Twelve?" I ask.

Haymitch hesitates slightly before saying, "No. I guess it's just pure talent that she has."

He's lying right through his teeth and he knows I realized that, so he nods his head slightly as if to say _not now._

Katniss reaches the table, grabs the tiny package and slips it up her forearm. She's just about to fire her arrow but the knife slices past her forehead before she can shoot her arrow. It cuts her just above the right eyebrow, opening a gash that sends a small trail of blood down her face. She seems taken aback and still recovering from it, so she doesn't notice Clove charging at her.

She knocks Katniss down and locks her to the ground. Katniss tries squirming, but Clove manages to have a firm grip on her, leaving Katniss helpless.

Haymitch sucks in a breath. "Stupid girl. How heavy can that puny girl be? Get up, Katniss!"

He then proceeds to yell profanity at the screen and almost hits Effie as he flails his arms around.

"Haymitch, calm down," I say soothingly. "Have another glass of champagne."

He mutters something under his breath before pouring another glass of champagne and finishes it in a gulp.

"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve? Still hanging on?"

"He's out there now, hunting Cato," snarls Katniss with a surprisingly convincing tone. Then she screams at the top of her lungs, "Peeta!"

Clove jams her fist onto her windpipe, effectively cutting off her voice.

"What is she doing?" asks Effie with horror.

"Buying herself some time," I say hopefully. "I'm sure she'll figure something out."

"Liar," says Clove with an evil grin when she realizes that Peeta is not coming. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it."

Clove opens her jacket and we find that it's aligned with an impressive array of knives.

"How in the world would she have gotten that?" asks Portia in disbelief.

"Sponsors," answers Haymitch with a monotone voice. "I'm sure Brutus and Enobaria would've threatened enough people so that they'd have enough money to build Cato and Clove a mansion in there."

"I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show."

"This is it," moans Effie. "There goes our chance of ever bringing a tribute back."

Katniss tries to squirm and budge, but Clove doesn't even flinch.

"Forget it, District Twelve. We're going to kill you, just like we did your pathetic little ally… what was her name? The one who hopped around in trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" Clove asks with a sickly sweet smile. "Now, where to start?"

She carelessly wipes away the blood on Katniss' face and surveys her face, as if indecisive about where the blade should cut first.

"I think," she purrs. "I think we'll start with your mouth."

Effie squeaks as we watch Clove trace the outline of Katniss' lips with the tip of her blade. Even though Katniss is probably in her dying moment right now, her eyes shine with determination and fearlessness.

"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" she asks.

Katniss spits a mouthful of blood and saliva on Clove's face before the blade touches her skin. Clove flushes with rage and her eyes burn with fury. 

"All right then. Let's get started."

But just as the blade cuts into her lip, Clove is yanked off Katniss and then she's in the air, screaming her lungs out.

It's Thresh.

Thresh holds Clove by the collar with one hand, as if she only weighed a feather. He flips her around and throws her onto the ground.

"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" shouts Thresh with anger and spleen.

Clove is scrambling on all fours and begs, "No, no, it wasn't me!"

"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" questions Thresh with forcefulness. "You cut her up like you were going to cut up this girl here?"

"No, no, I-"

Then she sees it. Clove sees the stone, a size of a loaf of bread, in Thresh's massive palm and loses it.

"_CATO! CATO!"_

"_CLOVE!"_

Cato yells from afar, but he's too far away. He went off to chase Amber, but didn't find her hiding place in a small underbrush that was camouflaged with stray branches and mud, which Cato did not notice.

Thresh brings the rock hard down onto Clove's skull. She's not bleeding. She's still breathing, heart still pumping. But the dent in her skull tells me that she will not be living for more than a minute.

Then Thresh whirls around with his hand raised, facing Katniss.

"What'd she mean? About Rue being your ally?" asks Thresh in a low, threatening voice.

"I-I," stammers Katniss. "We teamed up. Blew the supplies. I tried to save her; I did. But he got there first, District One."

"And you killed him?"

"Yes. I killed him. And buried her in flowers." Her voice cracks slightly. "And sang her to sleep."

Thresh's facial expression softens, but the fire in his eyes does not.

"To sleep?" asks Thresh gruffly.

"To death. I sang until she died," said Katniss with melancholy in her voice. It's probably heart wrenching to have to talk about Rue's death for her. "Your district… They sent me bread."

Katniss wipes her nose and says to Thresh: "Do it fast, okay, Thresh?"

Confliction flickers on his face, but he eventually lowers the rock and points at Katniss. "Just this time, Twelve, I let you go. For the little girl. You and me, we're even then. No more owed. You understand?"

Katniss nods.

"Thank goodness," says Effie with a relieved sigh. "I thought he was going to kill her too."

"Clove!"

"You better run now, Fire Girl," says Thresh.

Katniss doesn't need to be told twice. She quickly gets up and sprints toward the woods. But she looks back and sees Thresh vanish into the fields with the backpacks labeled '2' and '11'.

"Cato's going to go after Thresh, for taking his backpack and Clove's life," says Haymitch glumly.

Katniss sees Cato kneeled next to Clove, spear in one hand and Clove's limp hand in the other.

"Stay with me Clove," he says desperately. "Stay with me. Stay with me. Please. Don't leave me. Stay with me."

Then Katniss turns away from them and dashes away, crashing into the trees and swiping blood from her forehead.

After a few minutes, the cannon sounds. Clove is dead.

The camera shows Thresh settled in his shelter, staring blankly at the backpacks. They then go back to Cato, whose face is stony, cold and _dark. _Then he looks ahead, into the wheat field. His eyes flash with hatred and umbrage.

Sometimes silent anger can be ten times more dangerous loud anger.I know that I'm right when Cato opens his mouth and seems to look straight into the camera.

"I'm coming for you, Eleven," he says in monotone whisper. "I'm coming for you."

**There it is! The Feast (: I think I have about 2 or 3 more chapters before CATCHING FIREEEEE! I don't know about you, but I am EXCITED :D**

**SO. I currently have 86 reviews, which is awesome. If you can get me to 90 reviews, I'll post a chapter on Sunday. If I get to 95, I'll post a chapter on Saturday. If I get to 100…. Friday. Over 100, Thursday. It's quite unlikely, but hey; a girl can dream ;)**

**Reviews then?**


	24. Chapter 24: Thresh

**Can I just start of my apologizing? It's been a LONGGGGG time since I've updated and I feel horrible. So I felt that I should stop being such a lazy donkey and actually write a chapter to show my gratitude :P**

**IMPORTANT: So I got 3 reviews from an anonymous 'Guest' saying how horrible my stories were… And truthfully, I'm not all that bothered. I'm more… amused. That Guest said that s/he hated my story but read all the way to Chapter 19? That's a bit messed up. So I'd just like to say that if you hate my story, just close the tab and don't read it. I'm pretty sure I never mentioned anytime or anywhere in my story that you HAVE to like what you're reading, and I know that I am not an amazing writer and the first few chapters are probably quite appalling to read :P I just think you'd have to be pretty shallow to do something like that, you know?**

**I promise that we'll never have such a long A/N ever again XD**

**IMPORTANT: This chapter continues off Chapter 21, when Cato goes off in search of Thresh and when Katniss manages to get the medicine to Peeta and falls asleep.**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

We watch Cato run wildly into the field, in search of Thresh. He uses his bare hands to push away the tall grains and curses under his breath.

"Where are you, Eleven," he growls.

He treks quickly into the field. From the screen, we can see that Thresh is only 100 metres away from where Cato is standing. Cato looks up and finally sees him; he's sitting down, hugging the 2 packs against his chest and murmuring incoherent things under his breath. Cato knits his eyebrows together and trudges towards Thresh.

Thresh hears Cato before he sees him.

He gets up and looks around, trying to locate where the sound of heavy footsteps are coming from.

"Looking for me?"

Thresh whirls around and sees Cato with his fists curled up, ready to throw a punch at the bat of his eye.

Thresh stares at him.

Cato smirks. "I don't want much, Eleven. Maybe if you'd give me my pack, I'll leave you unharmed. Alive. That is, if you choose to do it the easy way."

Thresh remains calm but fierce. His eyes are burning with determination and his face stern. His hands are by his sides but are tense and rigid. He tentatively steps in front of the pack labeled 'Two' and hides it from Cato's eyes. He's not going give in.

Cato grins evilly. "You really want to do that, Eleven? I don't think you've seen me in training before. Have you? Or were you too busy taking care of that District partner of yours? What was her name… Prune?"

Thresh's nostrils flare out in anger as he says in a low voice, "Just leave, and things would be easier for both of us."

Cato's eyebrows raise in mock disbelief as he says, "He speaks."

Thresh glares at him and says angrily, "What do you want from me, Two?"

"You know damn well what I want, Eleven," snarls Cato as he takes a step towards Thresh. Now they're only a metre away.

They stare at each other for a good minute before Thresh says, "No."

Cato smiles. "When this is over, you'll be just like little Prune girl; as good as dead."

Cato barely finishes the last syllable when Thresh pounces on him with such force that he tackles him to the ground. He throws a couple of hard punches before Cato regains his strength to flip Thresh over, until he's the one on top. He holds his hands down onto Thresh's throat until the colour drains from his face.

Cato cackles. "And that wasn't even hard, Eleven."

But Thresh uses this time to lift his legs up to lock them on Cato's shoulders and push him down. Cato releases his grip, allowing Thresh to get a breather before forcing Cato down and pressing down on his throat.

"Using… my… tech..nique… eh?" whispers Cato, as Thresh pushes down on his windpipe.

Cato uses whatever strength he has left to jab Thresh on the neck, exactly where the pulse would be. Thresh howls in pain as Cato punches him in the ribs multiple times before he falls to the ground.

"Too bad I know the counterstrike."

Cato beats Thresh until blood is gushing out of his nose and mouth. Thresh yells and screams in pain, but nobody comes to help him. All this time, Portia is squeezing my hand and breathing hard. Effie and Haymitch sit silently, not saying anything this whole time. I still think something happened between the two, I just don't know what. I'll find out in time. For now, I need to concentrate on Thresh, and hope that he makes it out alive. But then again, he'd be in so much pain; it'd be better if he died.

"That one was for Clove!"

"Die, Eleven, die!"

He yells out more profuse language before standing up and panting. He looks down at Thresh, whom is currently half-dead. His eyes are swollen shut, nose and mouth bleeding and the bare skin that is showing badly bruised. The rise and fall of his chest is so small, you have to stare at it for a minute before realizing he's still alive. But he won't be for long.

Cato got what he wanted in the end: his pack and his revenge.

The sky starts to get cloudy before Cato spits on Thresh.

"For Clove."

And with that, he stomps on Thresh's chest so hard that we hear a huge crack.

_Boom._

The death of Eleven's last tribute, killed at the hands of a brutal boy at the age of 16. Is this what the Hunger Games is really supposed to be? Just a murdering race, to see who should die first? Who is the better killer?

The Control Room is silent.

I think of Chaff and Seeder. I imagine that this would be worse for them than it is for us. Thresh was Seeder's nephew and Chaff was Rue's uncle. I decide to go visit them, see how they're coping.

I knock on the Eleven Control Room door and say, "It's Cinna. Can I come in?"

I have to wait a few moments before I hear a soft voice saying, "Okay."

I open the door slowly and tentatively. I peek in and see Chaff sitting with his face blank, while Seeder looks like she just cried her eyes out. She sniffs as she looks at me.

"Today's his 17th birthday, you know."

To die on the day you were born… I don't even know what to say anymore. So I just hug Seeder and let her cry into my shoulder.

"It's okay, Seeder," I say softly into her ear. "He's alright now."

"I could've done something," whispered Seeder. "Maybe if I had-"

"Shh," I interrupt. "No, okay? You did him a favour. Nobody wants to live in a world like this. Nobody does. He could've died a less painful death, but what's done is done, Seeder. Don't blame yourself for it, okay?"

I release Seeder and hold her at arm's length. She smiles weakly at me and whispers, "Thanks, Cinna. I needed someone to say that."

I nod and smile. "Any time."

I turn to Chaff, and see him still sitting there, staring into space. I walk up to him and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Chaff."

He doesn't respond.

"Chaff, I need you to listen to me."

Silence.

"Listen. Rue's death was not your fault. Neither was Thresh's. There was nothing much you could do to save them. You couldn't have had known that Marvel was going to kill Rue, and you could've have known that Cato was going to give Thresh such a painful death." I take in a deep breath. "You did all you could."

Then Chaff turns to me. The look in his eyes makes me wish that I wasn't there.

"I will kill Snow. I will kill him for this, Cinna. Nothing you say will change that," says Chaff in a threatening voice. "I will kill him."

I keep quiet. This room could be bugged. Snow would've heard everything. And if he did, it would result in his imminent death.

"And you know what kills me the most, Cinna?"

I look at him.

"What kills me the most is the fact that what I did wasn't enough to save them."

**I hope that was good enough :P At the rate we're going, I'm guessing that we'll have about 5 more chapters until CATCHING FIREEEE!**

**Thanks so much for 131 lovely reviews (apart from the anon ones) that I've been receiving during this writer's block! Special thanks to _Nightlock-Rebellion_ for reviewing EVERY CHAPTER! I may not have many readers, but I definitely have one of the most supportive readers (: I really mean it when I say I try my hardest to get a chapter done.**

**Thank you again, and see you at the next chapter!**


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